Wrong Number
by ThirdtotheLeft
Summary: Tumblr Prompt: I sent a selfie of myself in the tub to the wrong person and you responded back with another selfie. Holy shit, you're hot.
1. Chapter 1

Sanji is a man of many talents. He is an exceptional dancer and an okay singer. He is an expert in martial arts and he holds his own with crafts. He has basic knowledge about cars and he can fix a leaky pipe if need be. And of course, he is an unbelievably amazing cook.

But no matter how much he tries, Sanji does not know how to woo a lady.

Sanji loves women. He loves everything about them. He lives for women. But women apparently don't like him.

He doesn't know what it is that he does wrong. He praises their beauty and grace with every breath, he does everything for them and never asks for anything in return (like any man should), and he throws himself at their feet. But no matter how much he tries, no woman will look at him.

And it's not like they rather be friends—no, he's always turn down flatly. Often harshly. And that is why, at twenty-two, Sanji has only ever slept with two women.

His virginity was lost at sixteen with an older woman (much, much older) and his second time was with a girl questioning her sexuality (yes, she is now married to a beautiful woman) when he was eighteen.

But no matter how daunting the tasks seems, Sanji will always continue to cater to women's needs. And it's not only because he wants to get laid (though yes, he wouldn't say no to sex) but because Sanji is a romantic at heart and he hopes with all of his heart to meet that beautiful lady that holds the second half of his soul. He wishes for marriage and children, for date nights and anniversaries, for waking up next to someone, wrapped in their warmth.

Sanji wishes for a soulmate, and he will never find her if he is disheartened over the amount of women that have turned him down with scorn.

But he knows, after six years of trying and failing, that his way of doing things is not working. And that is why Sanji is seriously considering following his friend Ace's advice.

The man is a player, often seen with a different woman or man every week. He is one of Sanji's closest friends and Sanji often finds himself envying the freckled-man's ease with woman.

Ace's advice? Do a 180. If women don't like the romantic, sweetheart kind of guy, then turn into the sexy player they want to just swallow up.

It works for Ace, so…

Sanji bites his lip and stares at the phone number saved in his contacts. He finally managed to get Porche's number three days ago, after months of flirting (begging). He's been a little in love with her since he saw her in his restaurant four months ago with a couple of her friends. She knows Ace somehow so Sanji has been lucky enough to meet her a couple of times since then.

He wonders if he should text her right now. Perhaps ask her how her day has been. Or invite her out to eat. Maybe just say hello?

He sighs and opens up Ace's text thread.

 _Send her a dick pic._

He wonders if Ace knows Porche is the woman Sanji is trying to get with. Not that a dick pic works with _any_ woman—seriously, is this how Ace gets girls?—but Sanji is sure this won't work with Porche _at all_. The girl is…a bit odd—in a completely adorable way, of course.

"This is stupid," Sanji mutters and puts away his phone. He can't think right now. He needs to relax. He just got off an eight-hour shift at the Baratie after a week of twelve-hour shifts, so he's bone-tired. A good, warm bath with do wonders for him.

He gets to his feet and drags his tired body to the shower. He fills the tub with warm water and then undresses, putting his dirty clothes in the hamper before he grabs his bath oils and sinks inside the tub.

"Ah, that's the spot," Sanji groans happily, feeling the warm water wash out all of his tension. The calming aroma of lavender and vanilla soon makes him just a little bit drowsy and he sinks low enough so only his eyes can be seen.

He loves baths.

His phone lights up on the counter and Sanji glances at it. He debates whether to grab it or not, but the prospect of maybe one of the girls he's given his number to answering gets him to stand up and grab it. Sinking down in the warm water again feels like coming home and Sanji smiles.

He checks his phone and scowls when he sees he's got a text from Ace.

 _Did u do it? If she doesn't txt back is 'coz ur dick is too small. Send me 1 so I can check._

Sanji rolls his eyes. He's gotten used to Ace flirting with him, but when they first started being friends, it always freaked him out. Not because Sanji is homophobic or anything, but because he's never been the one on the other side of flirting. People don't flirt with him.

Is he ugly? No. Sanji is not vain, but he knows he has a pleasant-face. Maybe his eyebrows freak people out.

His mood dampens and he stares at Ace's text. Maybe he should just do like Ace advised. He opens the camera app and changes the setting to forward camera. He looks at himself. He looks a bit tired, the bags under his eyes more pronounced. He brings the camera down and puts more of his body in the frame.

The water looks light purple from his oil and the color makes his skin look a bit paler. He built up a lot from his high school years, so he now has a well-marked six-pack and a cut V where before he only has a flat belly. He's built up a lot in muscle definition, though he still looks slender under his clothes.

If he doesn't put his face on the frame, he gets a nice view of his torso and legs. He doesn't feel comfortable sending out his dick in a picture so he crosses them subtlety.

There. He looks nice. She can't see how tired he looks but she can see his body. Ace says sometimes girls just want a guy for how hot he is, no matter how unromantic he is. Sanji doesn't exactly agree, but again, Ace has the better track record.

He takes the picture and uploads it as a text message. Should he write a message? Of course, how else is she going to know who he is?

 _ **Wish you could join me Porche-chan**_ _!_

That sounds sufficiently flirty, right? He bites his lip then quickly hits send before he can talk himself out of it.

He quickly puts his phone away and sinks his head under the water.

Shit. Shitty fuckity shit. Oh god, why did he ever think this was a good idea? He's gonna fucking kill Ace.

The sound of a _beep_ startles him and he lifts his head out of the water to glance at his phone. The screen is lit with a new message.

Fuck, that actually worked?

He quickly grabs it and eagerly checks the message.

His face falls.

 _Sorry, man. She gave you the wrong number._

Sanji stares the message. She gave him the wrong number. He's been worrying all this time about how to call her, and she didn't even give him her number. And he had been so happy when she wrote the number on his arm.

Maybe she had simply written down a wrong digit.

Something tells him that's not it.

"I'm gonna die alone," Sanji mutters to his ceiling and almost drops his phone in the water when it rings again.

Surprised, he opens the messages app.

There's a picture of a man—an incredibly attractive man. The picture looks down on him, the man clearly having held his phone above his head to put his face and chest in the frame. And what a fucking sight it is.

The man has a rugged, stoic attractiveness, the type that screams out masculinity and Sanji has always envied. Three gold earrings pierce his left ear and his hair is a punkish green color. He is pulling his shirt up to reveal a practically perfect chest, cut to utter perfection, practically carved out of marble by Michelangelo or Donatello. A scar that runs diagonally across his chest is the only flaw, though it only adds to the whole bad boy vibe the man has going on. His jeans are pull low, revealing his happy trail and the sharply cut V of his groin.

Sanji blushes and he has to look away.

What the fuck is wrong with him!?

The phone dings again and Sanji risks looking at the new message.

 _Wish I could join you, too_.

Oh god. Sanji blushes crimson and quickly hides under the water.

He spends too long trying to convince himself that the feeling in his stomach isn't giddiness.

A couple of days pass before Sanji hears again from the mysterious hot stranger. He's working the tenth hour of yet another twelve-hour shift when his phone rings. Usually, he doesn't check his phone in the kitchen, but the things are a bit slow and Sanji has the time.

It's a new message from the wrong number. Sanji hesitates, his finger hovering over the notification. He doesn't even know why he kept the number. He didn't answer the man's text, but sometimes he likes looking back at it.

Hey, it's nice to feel wanted, even if it's a guy.

He opens the text and his eyes greedily take in the new picture.

He can only see an arm and a little bit of chest, but it's enough. The man's arm is bent as he holds a heavy weight, clearly working out. His muscles are bulging in effort, sweat making his tan skin shine and Sanji can't help but lick his lips as he stares at the show of strength. It would take both his hands to wrap his fingers around that bicep.

 _Is there anything better than working out after a long day of work?_

Sanji hesitates. The question is simple enough—Sanji can take it as rhetoric or answer it and keep the conversation going. But if he answers it, then what? Is he seriously going to flirt with a guy?

 _Well, girls are clearly not working out. And he's fucking hot_.

Sanji quickly pulls up his camera and takes a quick picture of his work station. It is relatively clean, though he does have a beautifully presented steak plate, waiting for the waiter to come pick it up.

 _ **I wouldn't know. Still at work.**_

He attaches the picture to it and sends it.

The response is quick.

 _You're a cook?_

Sanji frowns at the title.

 _ **A chef. Sous-Chef, in fact.**_

 _Is there a difference?_

 _ **A chef is a profession. Anyone can be a cook. Only the skilled and hard-working can be called a chef.**_

It takes longer for the next text to come in. Sanji worries his lower lip and sets his phone down after two minutes without response. Shit, did he scare the guy away?But he's passionate about his work and he hates when people think cooking is such an easy job. It takes time and dedication to become a professional and not many can cut it in the field.

Well, whatever. It's not like Sanji is seriously invested. He's just some hot guy.

He gets started on his next order and since the pace is still slow, he heads out to the dining floor to check on the customer.

When he comes back, his phone is lit up with a new message. Anybody who says he rushes to read the new message will get kicked in the fucking face.

 _I'm a teacher. Kindergarten._

 _ **Seriously!?**_

Sanji doesn't mean to be insulting, he simply can't picture it. That hot as fuck guy is teaches little kids? He seriously doesn't look like it. Sanji is pretty sure if he had a teacher like that when he was in kindergarten, he would have burst into tears. The man looks like he could kill for pay.

 _Yeah. It's only my second year. I like teaching but I can't stand teenagers, so kids it is._

 _ **Wow. Can't picture it.**_

 _This coming from the chef with the killer body. Seriously, aren't all chef's supposed to be fat?_

Sanji blushes and smiles. It feels nice to get a compliment every now and then. Ace calls him hot and sexy all the time, but it sounds different coming from Ace. Ace thinks everyone's hot.

He sneaks a picture of one of the more heavy-weight cooks and sends it.

 _ **Like this?**_

 _Yeah. That's how all the cooks at the school look._

"Oi, eggplant, put that phone away and get back to work!"

Sanji startles so bad he almost drops his phone. He glares at Zeff, ignored Patty's snickering, and quickly puts his phone away. He only has an hour left of work, he doesn't see what the big deal is.

His phone vibrates ten minutes after, but Zeff is still looking at him so he ignores it. Usually, even after his shift is done, Sanji stays behind to give a more thorough cleaning to the kitchen and to maybe get started on some of the meals of the early morning. But this time, the clock barely hits twelve before Sanji is out the door, raising back to his apartment.

He quickly undresses down to his boxers and throws one of his containers filled with leftovers in the microwave. He usually hates using the thing—it's good for warming up water or honey or getting butter to soften—but he's eager to check the message on his phone.

 _You have to be doing some kind of workout to look like that._

Then a second one:

 _Guess you're busy._

Sanji checks the timestamp. The second text was sent fifteen minutes ago, almost forty minutes after Sanji's last text. He quickly pulls up his keyboard and types in a quick apology.

 _ **Shit, no. My boss was getting on my ass. I do savate and capoeira.**_

The microwave dings and Sanji quickly goes grab his chicken, broccoli, and white rice mixture. He moves it around with his fork a little to get it warmed up and grabs a tea bottle from his fridge.

There's a text waiting for him.

 _I mostly do kendo but I've also done boxing and Muay Thai._

Sanji tries to imagine the man fighting. He has seen a couple boxing fights and even participated in a few of his own (only kick-boxing though). The thought is…surprisingly erotic.

Fuck, is he really doing this with a guy?

Sanji has never really paid attention to the male form. He seems them mostly as competition—winning competition. His interaction with guys is mostly getting into fights because he's flirting with their girlfriends or getting into fights because they've disrespected a girl in some way. There's Ace, his only friend—male or female—and while Sanji can appreciate the fact that Ace is smoking hot, he's too invested in the friendship to ever have inappropriate thoughts about him.

But here is a guy that is super attractive, the type of guy that always gets the girl—and he's looking at _Sanji_.

For the first time in his life, _Sanji_ is the one being pursued, the one being complimented, the one that is wanted.

And it fucking feels amazing.

 _Shit, it's almost one. What are you doing right now?_

Sanji places the plastic container on his chest and brings the camera up, making sure his chest and face is completely in the frame. He still looks a bit tired and his hair is a bit messy from laying on the couch's soft pillow.

 _ **Eating.**_

He takes a bite of his chicken and broccoli, grinning when his phone lights up almost instantaneously.

 _Dude, you gotta warn a guy before a pic like that._

What does that mean? Does he like it or not?

 _ **Did you like it?**_

He bites his lip and waits nervously for the answer. He takes another bite of his food and swallows thickly when his phone rings.

 _Like you have to ask. Do you wear contacts?_

Sanji frowns at the odd question. Contacts? He only needs glasses when reading, so he doesn't see the point in them.

 _ **No…? That's an odd question**_ **.** _ **Why?**_

 _You have very pretty eyes._

Sanji blushes red and he has to tuck the phone under his arm even though the other man has no way of knowing if Sanji is blushing or not.

 _Though your eyebrows are a bit weird._

Fucker! He can't compliment Sanji one second and insult him the next! Yeah, he fucking knows his eyebrows are weird, there's no reason to point it out.

 _ **Your hair is weird. Moss-head.**_

 _Dart-board brow_

 _ **Marimo**_

 _You know Japanese?_

Sanji blinks and frowns. Japanese—oh, that's right! Marimos are indigenous to Japan. He only knows them since he saw them at the zoo.

 _ **Nah. I'm mean, I only know arigat**_ _ **ō**_ _ **which is like, thank you, isn't it?**_

 _Yeah. I'm Japanese, that's why I asked. Moved to the States when I was twelve._

 _ **I'm French. Moved here when I was nine.**_

He hasn't told anyone that. He's sure Ace knows, only because Sanji had a little trouble trying to get his green card a couple of years ago when his work visa expired, but he's never actually told someone. He moved here after his parents died, so it's not something he likes talking about. But he had already typed the message and sent it before he even knew what he was doing.

Maybe it's the fact that the other man shared something personal, too.

 _You're from France? The city of love, huh….damn, you really are perfect aren't you?_

How can this guy write like this!? Is he even being honest? Or is he just trying to get in Sanji's pants? Because, damn, it might be fucking working. Perfect has never been a word someone has used to describe him. He's been called handsome, talented, skilled, well-mannered…but _perfect_? Sanji is the one always using the word to describe others—women are perfect, his food is perfect, this fucking man is perfect—but never has he been in the receiving side of it.

 _ **You don't even know me**_

The response is immediate

 _No, but I want to. You wanna keep texting?_

Sanji hesitates. He's heard people use the term before. _'Oh, we're just talking'_. It means you're not really dating, but you want to. He knows nothing about this man—hell, he doesn't even know his name. Who knows if the guys lives near here? Or if he's some kind of pervert—heck, he might not even be the guy in the picture at all! He could probably be catfishing Sanji (he's heard of it and it's horrible).

But…well, what if he's not? What if this fucking hot man really _is_ interested in him? Sanji likes the way these texts make him feel. He likes the attention, the conversation. He likes having something to look forward to.

Besides, it's just texting. It's not like Sanji is going to invite the guy over or something. He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.

 _ **Sure.**_

Sanji and the other man keep texting back and forth. Their names have somehow failed to come up in conversation and Sanji feels weird right out asking him, so he's taken to calling him marimo and the other man refers to him as love-cook or curly.

They talk about _everything_.

They talk about silly stuff, like TV shows and movies. Marimo loves horror stories but Sanji prefers rom-coms. They talk about their favorite comedians, their favorite actors, their favorite sports—everything basic that there is to know about each other.

They talk about aliens (they both totally agreed that they're real) and they talk about what-ifs. They talk about their childhoods and their futures, their hopes and their dreams. Marimo talks about his job, sometimes venting to Sanji about how _stupid_ some parents can be (seriously, vaccinate your kids!) or about how fucking amazing kids sometimes are. He talks about his passions for swordsmanship and how there is a man that he wants to defeat. He talks about his family, about his mother and sister that died when he was young. He talks about his father and his heritage and how sometimes he just misses Japan.

And he listens, too.

He listens to Sanji rant about the other cooks and the old geezer, about the goddamn customers that think just because they're paying they have the right to treat workers like trash. He talks about his dream of opening his own place, about his fears of maybe not being good enough to make it in the real word, outside of Zeff's protection. Sanji tells him about his policy never to use his hands while fighting, not even to protect himself, and he talks about his unfortunate addiction to nicotine and even though he's tried a lot of times, he just can't quit.

They talk and they talk and with every text that is sent, Sanji finds himself looking forward just a little more to these little talks. He finds himself thinking about the Marimo, hoping every time he checks his phone that there's going to be a text there. He wakes up to a good morning text from him every day—except weekends—and goes to bed with a good night text.

And with every passing day, Sanji finds himself hoping that they can meet soon. But Marimo never talks about it—they haven't even talked on the phone, it's all just been texting—and Sanji avoids the topic, too, in case of ruining something.

And that is why, almost five weeks after the fortunate wrong number text, Ace forces him to go out.

"You need to meet someone _real_!" Ace snaps, tugging on his ankle.

Sanji told him about the marimo a couple of weeks ago, though he refrained from using any pronouns or giving names. Since then, Ace has been warning him to stay careful and trying to get him dates with real, live people out there.

He doesn't like listening to Sanji when he says the marimo is, technically, a real, live person too.

"I don't wanna," Sanji mutters, snuggling deeper into his bed. This is his first day off of the month, so Sani wants to enjoy his day off. Zoro already texted him telling him he's gonna be out late, so he might not be able to hear Sanji's texts.

"Sanji! I don't use this often, but as I'm pulling the best friend card! You _have_ to come with me!"

Sanji lifts his head and glares at his friend. "That's low," he mutters.

"I have to do it," Ace shrugs, hands on his waist. "Now get your ass up. I want you to meet Nami! She's perfect for you."

Sanji rolls his eyes, but obeys. Ace's brother Luffy has a different party every month, and every time, Sanji gets invited. He's only been to one, a long time ago, but after he got thrown up on by a girl he had been flirting with, he decided parties were not his thing.

But Ace pulled the best friend card so Sanji has no other choice but to get off the bed and get changed into semi-casual clothes.

In the end, because he _really_ doesn't want to go out, he opts for simple khakis and a salmon shirt. He tries to appear enthusiastic—after all, he does like Luffy and Usopp—but he finds himself checking his phone every five minutes.

Of course, Marimo doesn't text him.

And then, to make things worse, Ace leaves him as soon as they arrive at Luffy's house, quickly disappearing amongst the crowd of people.

Seriously, Sanji knows Luffy is a friendly guy, but this is just ridiculous. If this is how all of Luffy's parties are, then he's glad he's been missing out of them.

He doesn't know anybody, so Sanji slowly makes his way to the backyard, grabbing a cup of something that tastes like cheap wine. The party extends to the backyard, where the food is being cooked, but there's a pool back here and Sanji has always liked women in bikinis. He finds himself a nice, comfortable chair and relaxes on it, suddenly wishing he had sunglasses to hide the way his eyes follow the women swimming in the pool.

"Sanji? What are you doing here?"

He looks up and meets a familiar pair of blue eyes.

"Porche, it's so nice to see you," Sanji exclaims, getting to his feet. "How are—."

"Did you follow me?" she snaps, snatching her hand away before Sanji can grab it.

"P-pardon?"

"Did you _follow_ me?" she snaps, her voice rising. "How many times do I have to tell you— _I don't like you!_ Stop bothering me!"

Her voice is nearly a scream at the end and Sanji is beet red as every eye turns to him. This is…this is totally humiliating. Sanji never wanted to make her feel uncomfortable, he never wanted her to feel like he was a bother. But it's clear that she never appreciated his flirting. But…well, he hasn't talked to her in over a month, ever since she gave him the wrong number. He doesn't understand why she's still so upset.

"I…I'm sorry I made you feel uncomfortable, Porche," Sanji says honestly, his voice shaking a little. "That was never my intention."

"Well, then stop following me!" she snaps. "Get out!"

Sanji jumps at her last order and quickly leaves her side, his ears red. He avoids eye contact as he hurries inside the house and quickly heads to the kitchen, grabbing the strongest drink he can see. He's a lightweight, but what he needs right now is to get drunk.

If he's drunk, he'll forget all about Porche.

He finds himself a nice, little quiet spot at the foot of the back stairs and takes a long gulp of his drink.

Is he really so undesirable? Does he really bother girls so much? But…what is it about him that they don't like? Does he maybe push them too hard? Or does he talk a lot? Or maybe it's just the fact that he keeps insisting even after they've said no.

Yeah, that'll bother anyone.

His phone vibrates in his pocket and Sanji almost drops his drink in surprise. He stares at the message icon on his screen and quickly checks the new text.

 _I fucking hate parties._

Marimo likes him. The green-haired man has never turned him down, has never said that he's bothered by the frankly lengthy texts Sanji sends. He doesn't mind if Sanji texts him at four in the morning—he still texts back.

 _ **Me, too**_

 _Is that a general feeling or did something happen?_

Even through text, Marimo knows if something's wrong. He's always been able to do that and Sanji appreciates it very much.

 _ **I'm at a party and it sucks. I just want to go home**_

 _Why don't you?_

 _ **My friend pulled the Best Friend Card—if I leave, I can't call myself a friend**_

 _That sucks. I wish I could make you feel better._

Sanji smiles. He already has—just with these texts, his mood is a lot better. He likes Marimo, he really does. And he likes him as a person, not just because he's hot as all hell. He wants to meet him. He wants to hear his voice. He wants to touch him.

He wants to see if he's really real and not just a figment of Sanji's imagination.

 _ **I wish I could see you**_ , he texts and bites his lip. Is that too forward? But…well, they've been talking for over a month, is about time they meet, right?

Sanji expects a picture message, not the short text that comes in.

 _Look up._

Sanji frowns and looks up.

Immediately, he locks eyes with the man in front of him. A man with familiar green hair and tan skin. He's taller than Sanji, just a by a little bit, but he's definitely wider. He stands with a swagger that screams of cockiness, even in stillness, and the three golden earrings on his left ear stand out attractively against the deep tan of his skin.

He smiles wide and Sanji's heart skips a beat and immediately sets a quick, rapid beat as the man approaches him.

He stops in front of Sanji, just a foot away, but close enough that he can smell the scent of steel and spices, something warm and deeply masculine.

"Hey," a low, dark voice says and Sanji shudders. "My name is Zoro."

Sanji looks at the hand extended to him and slowly brings his own hand up. Zoro's hand is warm and calloused. Zoro's hand is real.

"I'm Sanji."

Zoro's smiles widens and Sanji silently thanks Porche for giving him the wrong number.


	2. Chapter 2

He's not nervous. Of course he isn't. Roronoa Zoro doesn't get nervous.

Not even in the daunting prospect of finding the perfect outfit for his first date with Sanji.

"Just pick something," Nami groans where she's laying down on his bed. The mere fact that Nami— _fashion blogger, Nami_ —has grown tired of watching him try on new outfits is saying something.

And that something is that Zoro needs to get his head out of his fucking ass and just pick a goddamn outfit.

"Alright, alright—how do I look?" he asks, coming out of his walk-in closet to show Nami yet another outfit.

He's wearing a simple slate-blue henley with the sleeves pushed up to show off his forearms and a pair of dark jeans that fit him snugly. He has on his favorite brown desert boots.

"I buy all of your clothes—anything looks good on you," Nami rolls her eyes. "Who's the lucky girl, by the way?"

"Remember that guy I was telling you about?" Zoro asks, moving past her to take a look at himself in his mirror.

Nami sits up suddenly, her interest rekindled. "Hot, bathtub guy?"

"Very same," Zoro nods, fixing his hair. He usually doesn't bother combing it, but Nami always compliments him the few times he brushes it. "His name is Sanji—same guy Ace has been getting on you to meet."

"Holy shit," Nami gasps. "Wait, did Ace give him your number?"

"Porche did," Zoro says, scowling at the particularly ugly memory. He still fills up with anger every time he remembers how Porche talked to Sanji. He hasn't told the blond he heard that particular conversation, and he's not planning to.

"Your ex?"

"I never dated her," Zoro snaps. "She's just some girl I slept with."

"Who, apparently, has your number."

"She keeps bothering me," Zoro mutters. "Anyway, I met him at Luffy's party and…he asked if I wanted to grab a meal. He's a chef, so he's cooking something at his place."

"And you're _this_ nervous over him?" Nami asks curiously.

Zoro sighs and stops trying to get his hair to behave. He's not like this. Well, not usually. He doesn't really care for things like fashion or hairstyle. He knows he's attractive, in a dictionary-definition kind of way, but he trains for a more practical reason, not because he wants to look hot. He spends his days with kids and they don't give a fuck how he dresses as long as he treats them well.

He doesn't do dates, either. The last time he dated anyone was back when he was still in high school and that relationship didn't end well. The things he values most in a person is loyalty and when he was burned, he didn't think he could trust anyone else. He's slept with some girls since then, and even a couple of guys, but…nobody has gotten his attention quite as much as Sanji.

It all started with physical attraction.

Zoro had been coming home from a PTA meeting when Sanji's message arrived. He thought he would have an aneurysm right then and there when he unlocked his phone and was greeted with the glorious sight.

Pale skin submerged in lavender water. A smooth and muscular torso, corded arms that hinted at a subtle strength. Long legs bent to hide his crotch but instead drew attention to their sinful length.

He had responded without thinking, and then had spent the next few days disappointed when the man didn't respond.

He had texted again, hoping to maybe convince the guy to meet up for a quick fuck, but instead was drawn into long, meaningful conversations that left him thinking and wishing for more.

Sanji understands him better than anyone else. Maybe it was the small cover of anonymity, or maybe it was the way Sanji was always there, ready to talk (or text, as it may), but Zoro soon found himself spilling secrets he never told anyone else.

Sanji knows about Kuina. Sanji knows about his mother. Sanji knows about Mihawk. Sanji knows things about him that nobody else knows. He's shared things with him that he's kept privy from even his closest friends.

Sanji _knows_ him.

And well…Zoro likes him. Zoro really fucking likes him and he doesn't want to mess things up. Sanji is…fuck, Sanji is the best thing that has happened to him in a long time and Zoro _really_ doesn't want to mess up.

The man probably has admirers clamoring for his attention all the time and Zoro intends to come out on top.

"Yeah," he finally answers Nami quietly.

She purses her lips, then stands up, suddenly all business. "Alright. Take the shirt off and go wet your hair. The shirt looks good, but not for a first date. Go on."

Zoro quickly obeys her and hurries to his shower to wet his hair. When he returns, Nami has placed a faded, button-up denim shirt on his bed, coupled with a pair of grayish-tan pants, and his brand new pair of Merik boots, from Steve Madden.

He quickly gets changed into the new outfit—Nami has seen him almost naked more times than he cares to count since she's practically a sister to him—then sits on the bed to let her comb his hair into something resembling a quiff, though it's mostly just pushed back. He grew his hair longer after she pointed out how his short hair made his wide forehead look bigger.

It's not that he cared about his appearance, he just got tired of her holding up four fingers to his forehead every time they met.

"There. If you don't get laid tonight, I'll lower your debt by 5%," Nami says confidently.

Zoro rolls his eyes, though he doesn't contradict her. Hell, he's kind of hoping she's right. Yeah, he's developed strong feelings for Sanji, but that doesn't mean the guy isn't fucking hot as all hell.

"Do you need me to give you a ride?" Nami asks curiously, and Zoro hesitates before nodding.

"I'm supposed to arrive at six," he says, glancing at his clock which reads 5:17.

"Where does he live?" Nami asks curiously and Zoro grabs his phone to find the text message where Sanji told him his address.

Nami looks it up in her phone's GPS and frowns at the address. "This is downtown…c'mon, if we leave now, we'll make it on time."

Even though he hates admitting it, Zoro knows he has a slight…directional problem. It's nothing bad, definitely not as bad as Nami and Usopp make it out to be, but sometimes it can make him a little late to important meetings.

Luckily, Nami doesn't have the same problem. In fact, she is amazing with directions, and knows the city like the back of her hand along with all of its shortcuts. And so, she manages to get him to Sanji's place with fifteen minutes to spare.

"This is his place?" she wonders, looking up at the tall, brick building. "Mmh…clearly not as financially stable as Ace made him out to be."

"He only said that because he knows you're a gold-digger," Zoro snorts and Nami doesn't deny it. "Thanks, witch."

Nami shoves him off her car, but smiles and waves before she drives off. Zoro wipes his sweaty hands on his jeans, then pulls out his phone to text Sanji.

 _I'm here_ , he texts and receives a quick reply.

 ** _Top floor._**

He takes a deep breath and goes inside the building, turning left to get into the elevators and presses down on the button marked 13.

There's no crappy elevator music, but the sounds of the elevator moving only makes him more nervous, so he taps his shoe on the steel floor until the doors ding open and he walks out into a long hall with only one set of double, steel doors in front of him.

Again, he wipes his hands on his pockets, fixes the folded sleeves of his shirt, then knocks.

Nothing.

He knocks again, biting on his lower lip.

Nothing.

He's seriously thinking of turning around and leaving, but knocks one more time just in case.

This time, he hears the sound of shoes on hardwood floors before the doors are yanked open and he's greeted with Sanji's gorgeous face.

Damn, he still can't believe someone like Sanji exists at all.

He's wearing a light cotton shirt that is almost see-through, the sleeves cut off at the elbow to show of his wiry forearms and a deep v-cut neck that shows off his sharp collarbones. He's paired the shirt with pistachio pants, a brown belt, and brown and black corsico wingtip shoes.

But that's not all Zoro notices, because…well, he doesn't really care about his clothes.

No, Zoro notices the way his hair looks silky smooth, flawlessly arranged to cover his right eye in a way that looks totally accidental. Or the way his chapped lips still look totally soft and kissable. He notices the sharp edge of his jaw and the slender length of his neck, the way his eyes are slightly upturned to give him them the appearance of mirth. He notices the strangeness of his eyes, blue with a depth to them usually seen in darker colored eyes. He notices the slight of his waist and the length of his legs, his broad shoulders and long fingers, the hollow between his collarbones and the smoothness of his visible chest.

"You're a bit early," Sanji says and Zoro brings his focus out of Sanji's amazing body. "Food's not done yet, but I have some wine."

"That sounds fine," Zoro says despite the fact he hates wine. Sanji could offer him cyanide and he would drink it gladly.

Sanji steps back to let him in and Zoro takes a moment to appreciate Sanji's place.

Honestly, he doesn't expect the warehouse-style loft. The floors are hardwood and the walls are a combination of exposed brick and concrete, except for the two walls that are made of large windows. The ceiling is high, thick wooden beams crisscrossing over the living room area and kitchen. There's a simple metal staircase that leads to the second floor, probably where Sanji's bedroom and bathroom are. The kitchen is wide and specious, featuring dark wooden counters with black steel frames, concrete panels and reclaimed wood. The living room is slightly smaller, tied together by a lush carpet and stout lamps that give off a warmth light. There's a small dining room table made of the same dark wood as the kitchen counters, with chairs of black steel, and multiple paintings around the walls that give the entire room an industrial chic vibe.

Looking at the building from outside, one wouldn't expect to find this outside. Nami will be so pissed off when she finds out, but it's not like Zoro is going to let her steal Sanji away.

Zoro follows Sanji to the kitchen, where the wonderful smell of buttery steak fills his nose. He still remembers the mouthwatering steak picture Sanji sent him a while back and he can't help but lick his lips at the thought of finally tasting the picture-perfect meal.

"We're having steak?" he asks curiously.

"Yes," Sanji answers, giving Zoro a great view when he stands on his tippy toes to reach one of the top bottles of wines from his ridiculously large collection. "I thought something simple would be best."

"It smells great," Zoro says honestly, accepting the glass of red wine Sanji offers him.

"Thank you." Sanji sends him a small grin over his shoulder as he moves back to the stove to tend to the food. Zoro swirls the wine in the glass like he's seen it done on TV and moves to lean on the countertop next to the stove, letting him face Sanji again.

"How do you know Ace?" he asks curiously. He's known Ace since he was a teenager and he knows how much of a playboy the other man is, so he can't help but fear that Sanji has some type of history with the other man.

It's not like he's jealous or anything. Definitely not jealous.

"I met him in high school," Sanji answers. "He didn't go to my school but he was always around, flirting with girls. We actually roomed together for a little while before I found this place a couple of years ago.

"Wait, _you're_ Ace's old roommate?" Zoro asks, surprised.

Sanji raises an eyebrow in curiosity. "Ace talks about me?"

" _Everyone_ knows of you," Zoro snorts. "Ace kept whining about the major crush he had on you back then. Until he realized he liked you better as a friend. I always wondered why he never introduced you to us."

Sanji blushes at the news and Zoro takes a moment to enjoy the way the heat spreads down to his chest. "I…Ace flirts around with everyone," he mumbles. "Besides, I've been too busy working to go out to any of the parties Luffy is always throwing."

"Too bad; we could've met sooner," Zoro replies and grins when Sanji meets his gaze.

"Yeah, too bad," he agrees quietly, then moves his gaze down to the boiling soup. He quickly brings the heat down, the checks the timer before he opens the oven door. As soon as he does, the wonderful smell increases tenfold and Zoro actually has to wipe his mouth as it fills with saliva.

"Damn, I can wait to eat that," he groans and, without thinking, takes a swallow of wine.

He winces, expecting a fruity taste—and he _does_ get that to a certain degree—but there are also earthy flavors that lean toward smoke, tobacco, white pepper and clove. He stares at the red wine in surprise, licking his lips as he enjoys the combination of flavors.

"What's wrong?" Sanji asks him, placing the cast iron over the rack to cool.

"This is good," Zoro says in surprise.

Sanji frowns. "Yeah. It's Pinot Nero. Tastes great with steak, especially since this cut is so lean."

"No, it's just—I don't like wine," Zoro stupidly blurts out, but quickly corrects himself when Sanji's eyes narrow. "But I like this one! I just…Nami always makes me drink wine with her but I never like it, but this is one is _really_ good."

Sanji snorts and takes off his oven mitts. "Maybe you just haven't been drinking the right wine. Anything else you don't like?"

"Mmh…I don't like sweets," Zoro says thoughtfully, tasting the wine again. Damn, it's so good. He needs to sneak a glance at the label so he can buy it for his place. "Chocolate, cake…stuff like that. I'm not particularly fond of green vegetables—they're just tasteless—and things with too much cheese."

Sanji snorts. "Alright, then. I'll make it my goal to make you like all of those things. You've never had food until you've had _my_ food."

Zoro raises an eyebrow at the cocky statement. "Is that right? We'll see about that, curly brow."

"Fuck you, marimo," Sanji replies with no heat, but he smirks as he refills Zoro's glass pointedly. "Do me a favor and take out plates from the second cupboard. Utensils are on the drawer left to the sink."

Zoro does as Sanji says, finding the task easy since Sanji keeps everything well organized, and quickly sets the table. Sanji brings the cast iron to the table to place two thick and hearty slabs of meat on each plate, the golden juices quickly pooling around the steaming meat.

Zoro takes a seat quickly, his eyes on the gleaming steak.

"Not yet, marimo," Sanji softly chides, returning to the kitchen to grab the sides dishes. Zoro impatiently waits, but is rewarded as Sanji brings over the multiple sides, each one as beautiful as the steak.

A creamy mushroom pasta with caramelized onions and spinach, glazed carrots, spiced green beans with shallots, golden popovers, and of course, roasted potatoes with melted butter and pepper.

" _Bon apetit_."

"You, too," Zoro says absentmindedly and quickly fills his plate with a little bit of everything before he cuts the steak. It's so tender, the knife glides as if cutting butter. And then, when he finally gets it inside his mouth, it falls apart perfectly, filling his mouth with a mixture of contradicting flavors that force him to take his time, filing each sensation in his memory before moving on to the next one. He's just not eating, he's having an experience, and he's never tasted anything so good to the point that it actually makes him moan.

"I take it you like it," Sanji coughs, covering his mouth as he blushes red.

"This is the best food in the world," Zoro whispers, awestruck, and meets Sanji's gaze. "Why are you afraid of opening your own restaurant again? Cooking like this…there's no way you would fail."

Sanji blinks, then lowers his gaze to start cutting up his own steak. "It's not just about food, Zoro."

"Pretty sure it is," Zoro snorts, stabbing his carrots with his fork before popping them in his mouth. Damn, he doesn't even like carrots but these things are the bomb.

"There's a lot of better chefs out there. I'm twenty-two, I still have a lot more to learn."

"Mmhm," Zoro says around his mouthful of carrots. He swallows hard and points his fork at Sanji. "All I'm saying is that if there's a restaurant out there serving this type of food, I'm going broke eating there. And quite frankly, how do you know people aren't going to the Baratie just to try _your_ food, huh? You're a chef there, I'm pretty sure people would clamor up to whatever restaurant you open up as soon as they hear your name."

Sanji shakes his head but there's a small smile playing on his lips, the gesture surprisingly cute. It's much better talking to Sanji in person, even though Zoro really enjoyed their texts. But he doesn't get to see Sanji's face through the phone. He doesn't get to see the way Sanji blushes, the red covering the bridge of his nose, his cheeks, and his chest. Or the way he lowers his gaze when something embarrasses him, his hair blocking his eyes. Or the way his eyes sparkle with mirth when he finds something particularly funny.

Sanji turns the conversation to Zoro's job and he eagerly retells stories about his kids, loving the way Sanji's eyes turn tender when Zoro speaks of them. He loves his students, each and everyone of them, and he's sure Sanji can see that. Most people don't really see how Zoro can be a teacher, and there were a lot of teachers that fought the principal's decision to hire him straight out of college, but he really enjoys what he does. He likes the eagerness of children, the way they swallow up knowledge like sponges, the way they are so ready to face the word—and he can see that Sanji understands.

He can read Sanji as easily as he can read any of his students because, quite honestly and surprisingly, Sanji seems to have the same innocence they do. He's not talking about naivety or childishness—he's talking about the thirst of curiosity, the wonder of adventure, the eagerness and bright outlook that's inside every child and most people lose as they grow older. Sanji is full of dreams and laughter, Zoro can see it in the way he talks, but he's also filled with passion and determination, a strong will with small chips in confidence that Zoro hopes he'll be able to help fix.

Sanji is a mass of contradictions, a puzzle Zoro is eager to unravel because no matter how interesting he finds Sanji's mysteriousness right now, he's sure he'll like what's underneath even more.

When they finish eating, the move the conversation to the living room, and Zoro is glad to see that it's just as easy to talk to Sanji in person as it is over the phone.

He doesn't know why he was so nervous. He's been talking to Sanji for over a month, and even though that isn't a very long time, he _knows_ Sanji because all of their conversations had meaning.

"You know, we should spar," Sanji murmurs. Their full bellies, coupled with the great wine, is making them a bit drowsy. The fact that Sanji's place is warm and cozy, smelling of vanilla and cinnamon, doesn't help dissipate their sleepiness. But it's not a bad thing, since it's made them lower their defenses enough that Sanji has slipped his shoes off, placing his legs on Zoro's lap, and Zoro has sprawled on the comfortable sofa, enjoying the way Sanji's fingers are playing with his hair.

"What's that?" he asks, meeting Sanji's gaze.

"You said you know boxing and Muay Thai," Sanji reminds him. "And you haven't been able to spar much because you can't find a partner. I'm pretty good myself."

Zoro frowns. "I thought you said you didn't use your hands to fight."

"I can still beat you, marimo," Sanji replies, cocky.

"I doubt that."

"Oi, I'll kick your ass."

"I'd like to see you try."

"Just name the time and place."

Zoro opens his mouth to reply, then frowns as his mind takes the time to try and figure out when he can face Sanji. "Uh…give me some time."

Sanji snorts and taps Zoro's thigh with his heel. "Text me. It's gonna be fun."

"I'm having fun right now," Zoro says honestly, smiling at Sanji. "I really like this."

Sanji grins, his eyes half-lidded and warm. "I really like you, too."

"That's not what I said," Zoro grins, leaning in closer. "But yeah, me too."

Sanji frowns. "What did—."

Zoro doesn't let him finish, stopping the words with his lips. There's a heart-stopping moment when Sanji remains frozen, his lips immobile under Zoro's, but then he sighs into the kiss, his whole body relaxing, and opens his mouth to accept Zoro.

It's…perfect. As cheesy as it may sound, there's no other word that fits the bill. The way Sanji tastes, earthy from the wine but with his own special blend of spices, is even better than any food Zoro has tasted today. The way he smells, slightly sweet from his cologne yet with a more masculine, woodsy scent underneath, tantalizes and ensnares his senses. The way he kisses, softly but deeply, with _meaning_ and _feeling_ , as if there is nothing else he would rather be doing, completely breaks him down.

Zoro moves closer and Sanji's legs fall open, fitting him snugly between them and letting their bodies press together. Sanji's hands go to his hair, not guiding but simply gliding and pulling at the strands softly, making his knees weak. His strong thighs press against him, his feet hooking over his legs and trapping him close—as if he would ever want to escape this embrace.

His own hands find their way to Sanji's chest, his touch soft but eager as he explores the taut, firm form underneath him, feeling every tremor and breath as if it were his own. He can feel Sanji's heartbeat under his own, a tempo matched perfectly by the one beating in his own chest, and when Sanji pulls away for necessary air, Zoro's lip chase his touch by sliding down to his jaw, then throat.

" _Zoro_."

His name is a sigh in Sanji's lips, a breath of a whisper, deep and rough. The deep rumble of his voice courses through Zoro's body, settling in his spine and shooting pleasure through his system.

"Fuck," he groans, moving up to nip at Sanji's lip. " _Sanji_ ," he moans, and he doesn't need to say anything else. He doesn't need words or meaning when _Sanji_ is the only thing that matters right now.

It's supposed to be scary, it's supposed to be slow. This is a first date, this level of emotion isn't supposed to happen right now. He's not supposed to feel like this, it's too soon, it's too much. He's not supposed to be able to feel like this, not this soon.

But he doesn't care.

He's never been one to adhere to expectations, anyway.

Sanji's breath hitches and his skin shudders under Zoro's fingertips, so he moves his mouth in search of more sensitive spots, of places that will break Sanji apart and fill him with pleasure.

He wants to feel Sanji's heart fluttering against his chest, he wants to hear his voice spike with bliss, he wants to feel the tremble of his skin on his fingertips.

He wants it all.

Zoro leans back, a necessary evil if he wants to take his shirt off, but before he can move, Sanji's hands wrap around his and stop him.

It takes him a moment to focus on Sanji's gaze instead of the rough touch of his hands—calloused and strong, the signs of hard work and dedication—and when he does, he notices the worried, bitten lip and the hesitation in the darkened blue eyes.

"What's wrong?" he wonders, his voice rough with want.

"I…I really want this," Sanji whispers and Zoro grins.

"Me, too," he answers, but the hesitation doesn't leave Sanji's gaze.

"Zoro, I…I've never done this before."

Zoro frowns, the words cutting in through his hazed mind. "What do you mean?" he asks, confused. "You're not seriously telling me you're a virgin, right?"

"No!" Sanji snaps, blushing red. "I meant with a guy!"

"Oh."

Well, he can understand his hesitation now. A first time with a girl is not the same as a first time with a guy. Zoro still remembers the first time he slept with a guy—it was with a much older, married man (though Zoro didn't know that at the time). The guy had never been with a guy before, either, so when he tried prepping Zoro he ended up messing everything up and it got so painful that Zoro kicked him off and didn't let him do anything else. Since that particularly painful experience, he's not bottomed again, though he's only ever been with three other guys, two of which were experienced.

So yeah, he understands Sanji's apprehension. It's too easy to go with the flow of things, letting pleasure carry you to that point, but if you're not prepared or if you don't know what to expect, things can easily go south.

"Are you really mad at me right now?" Sanji asks nervously and Zoro shakes his head quickly.

"No—I'm not," he says firmly, meeting Sanji's gaze straight on. "I get it."

Sanji frowns and shakes his head. "No…I don't think you do. I mean…I've never done _any_ of this with a guy. Talking, dating, kissing— _attraction_. You're the first guy I've ever looked at this way, the first guy I've ever even _considered_ dating. I d-don't know if I'm gay or bisexual or if it's just you…I've never done _this._ "

" _Oh!_ " Zoro repeats, this time his surprise enough for him to sit back and let Sanji sit up. "You mean…you're straight?"

"Before you, I thought so," Sanji nods.

"Then why did you reply to my text?" Zoro asks, confused. He's dealt with the whole 'experimenting' phase before with some other guy. It's fine when both parties are completely aware of what's going on, and it's even better when there are no feelings involved—at least in his experience—but he really likes Sanji too much not to care if this is just some phase for the blond.

"Because—! Well…I like the way it made me feel," Sanji answers and Zoro can tell he's being honest by the way his voice strains slightly, as if Sanji rather not speak the words. "Because I found you attractive and because…I _really_ enjoy talking to you. I _like_ you. I _really_ fucking like you to the point where I don't care if this means I'm gay or bisexual or whatever the hell it's called."

Sanji stops to take a deep breath but Zoro doesn't speak, knowns Sanji still has more to say.

"I'm the type of person that's looking for something serious; for someone special," he continues. "I guess that's why girls always turn me down. I don't have casual sex, I don't do casual dating. I want the real thing, I'm in it for the long run. And I get it if that's not what you're looking for. I get it, _trust_ me. So…so I'm just laying it all out there because I don't want you to do something you'll regret." Sanji finishes off strongly, meeting Zoro's gaze head on, and he takes a moment to admire the way determination looks on Sanji.

Like everything else, it looks _damn good_.

"I've never told anyone about Kuina," Zoro says suddenly, surprising Sanji. "I'm not the kind of person that tells anecdotes about my students. I don't make sparring sessions with people. And I definitely don't do dating."

Sanji frowns and cocks his gaze. "But…you've told me about Kuina. And about your kids. And we _just_ planned a sparring session."

"Yeah, so I guess it's not surprising that I really, _really_ want to date you," Zoro says and grins when Sanji's eyes widen. "I'm not saying I'm sure this is it for us," he quickly adds before Sanji can get the wrong idea. "I'm not saying I believe in fate or 'the one', or whatever you want to call it—in fact, I _don't_ believe in things like that. I'm just saying that…I wouldn't mind if I'm wrong."

Sanji grins, that same wide, boyish grin that Zoro can only compare to the smiles his students give him, and nods enthusiastically. "I can work with that."

Zoro groans and lets himself fall on top of Sanji, pushing him back into the sofa. "Damn, I can't believe you stopped that kiss. It was a really good kiss."

He can almost _feel_ Sanji's responding grin in the way his fingers comb through his hair. "It was, wasn't it?"

"When's our next date?" Zoro asks, already moving his schedule around in his mind to fit Sanji.

"I'm off Wednesday."

"Great; you want to meet at the gym off 5th Avenue? I have the evening free."

"Sounds great."

The comfortable silence stretches for a couple of minutes until Sanji's voice softly breaks it.

"Are you sure you're not upset we're waiting?"

"Nah," Zoro answers honestly, if a bit sleepy. Sanji's body, while surprisingly muscular, is comfy as fuck. "Nami said if this outfit didn't get me laid, she'd bring my debt down."

There's a pause, then, "Do I want to know?"

"Not really."

"Okay," Sanji replies simply and brings his other hand down to softly scratch Zoro's back.

He's pretty sure he can fall asleep like this. He doesn't usually do this, but then again, there's a lot of things he's done since he met Sanji that he doesn't usually do. He doesn't know what it is about the blond that's so especial—maybe it has something to do with this whole 'special one' Sanji was talking about—he just knows that he _is_.

And if Sanji can make him feel like this in so little time, if he can burrow so deeply through the walls Zoro has spent so long building up, then maybe it's not a bad idea to give him a chance.


	3. Chapter 3

For the very first time, Sanji Black is in a relationship. Granted, it's with a guy—a very _masculine_ guy—and it's only a couple of days long, but it's a _relationship_.

Sanji's never had one of those before. It feels… _good_.

And others notice.

"What's wrong with your face?" Zeff snaps, startling Sanji.

He quickly puts away his phone, wiping away the smile Zoro's picture put on his face. He still can't believe the man is a kindergarten teacher, though there's no denying now that Zoro's sent him picture of his class finger-painting. The sight of the roughened man with blue paint all over his face and hair, surrounded by five year olds is surprisingly adorable.

"What's wrong with _your_ face?" Sanji snaps back childishly.

Zeff raises an eyebrow at the poor comeback, then shakes his head. "You get weirder every day, string bean. Don't forget we're getting a shipment in tomorrow."

"About that—I'm going to take the day off," Sanji says, going for nonchalance. Technically, Sanji's days off are Wednesdays anyways, so he really doesn't need to remind him, but he hasn't taken one off in ages and his news are bound to come as a surprise.

"Tomorrow is shipment day," Zeff says blankly and Sanji turns to see a slightly confused expression on his face.

"Ask Carne or Patty," he shrugs. "I need the day."

He and Zoro already made plans to meet at five at the gym off 5th Avenue. Zoro's work hours are from 7:30 in the morning to 4:00 in the afternoon, since he has to arrive before his students and leaves well after they've been dismissed.

Sanji is pretty sure he didn't spend so many hours in school when he was in kindergarten, but Zoro explained that regulations are changing in order to make the transition to first grade easier. Sanji doesn't really get it, but Zoro gets really excited when he talks about his students, so he doesn't complain.

Zoro looks adorable when he's excited.

Sanji blushes as the thought turns less innocent in his mind and he quickly turns his back on Zeff before the older cook can notice it.

"What's more important than shipment day?" Zeff growls and Sanji rolls his eyes.

"I have a date, geezer," he snaps. "Not that I have to explain myself to you. Aren't you always complaining I work too much?"

"A _date_?" Carne cuts in as he and Patty drop the pretense of not eavesdropping. " _You?"_

"C'mon, Carne. _Some_ girl has to take pity on him, right?" Patty snickers.

"Fuck you two!" Sanji snarls, raising his knife threateningly. They all know he won't use it—he respects the kitchen too much—but the threat is real. "When was the last time any of you had a date?"

"I'll have you know I met a lovely gal a couple of weeks ago," Carne huffs.

"You mean Trisha, the junkie?"

"Patty, buddy, not right now."

Sanji rolls his eyes and turns his back on the three annoying cooks. "Whatever. Point is, don't expect me to be here tomorrow."

"Fine," Zeff snaps. "Don't need you anyway."

Sanji rolls his eyes but swallows his retort, knowing when to retreat. He knows Zeff doesn't really mind if he comes or not, the older cook can handle a shipment on his own, but the relationship they have doesn't allow them to show open emotions.

He brings his focus back to the meal he's preparing, turning the heat down when his soup starts to simmer, then adds a tiny pinch of salt to his vegetables after a taste-test.

Unprompted, his mind wanders off to his first date with Zoro. He had been so nervous that day, he had woken up before the sun rose to search for recipes in his personal books. He had spent hours going planning different meals, each one more intricate and delicious than the last, before he panicked and gave up instead of a shower. But then, the cycle had begun again, leaving him to worry about what clothes to wear.

In the end, he had decided on a steak, the Baratie's staple meal. Zoro was a muscular man and it was clear that he liked to work out, so it wasn't a stretch to think that he would like meat.

And his outfit…well, he was just glad that closing his eyes and picking at random had worked.

But he shouldn't have worried. Talking to Zoro in person was as easy as texting him through the phone. Sanji had been afraid that once they got together, once Zoro met him personally, he would be disappointed.

He knew from experience that sometimes people liked him on paper, but one it came to meeting the real him, they were often disheartened. With Zoro, he knew a lot of his interest came from the mysteriousness of slight anonymity.

He feared that once Zoro got to see him, once he realized Sanji was just a normal and deeply flawed being, he would be turned off.

It had been shocking to realize how much the thought had hurt. He never expected real feelings to develop, he never expected to actually like Zoro—a _guy_.

A deeply masculine guy that was entirely made of rough edges and strapping virility.

He was the complete opposite of the girls Sanji usually fell for, an irreconcilable antithesis to everything he thought attractive.

There was no softness to his body, no slightness to his touch, no delicateness in his being.

But when Zoro had kissed him—fuck, Sanji had never felt like that before. He had felt wanted, desired, _liked_.

It was such a simple emotion, something that shouldn't have affected him so much…but it did.

And when Zoro had accepted him even after Sanji told him the truth, when he had revealed the fact that he liked Sanji enough to give _them_ a try, he thought his heart would burst.

Zoro isn't the lovely lady of his dreams, the one he's dreamt his whole life. He's not what he's been hoping and yearning for since he was old enough to know what love is.

He's so much better. He's _real_. And Sanji really wants to give their relationship a try, he wants to see if what he's feeling right now is actual reality, if it's possible that he's been looking for love in all the wrong places.

Six weeks. That's how long he's known Zoro. Six weeks. And he's eager for more.

Sanji wakes up late the next day. He had another late shift, but the first thing he did after coming home yesterday was turn off his alarm. This is the first time in years he's woken up after nine and it feels _amazing_. The sun is already shining brightly through his windows, thankfully not hitting him fully in the face because the building across the street provides a thin sheet of shadow.

He lays on his bed for a minute, simply enjoying the calmness of his first day off in god knows how long, before his excitement gets him off bed and into the shower. He bathes quickly but thoroughly, shaving off the light scruff that's showing, and then combing his hair to hide his matching eyebrow.

He's not meeting Zoro at the gym until later, but he can always show up a little early and check the place out before Zoro arrives. Besides, since he woke up too late for his morning routine, he will have to do some extensive stretching before the sparring session.

He's fit enough that he won't pull anything if he spars without stretching first, but better safe than sorry. Besides, nobody gets a body like Zoro without some serious workout and Sanji doesn't want to underestimate the other man. Enough people have done it to him to know that underestimating your opponent is always a bad call.

He prepares himself a light smoothie, the puts together a cold meal for after he and Zoro spar. It's light, but it'll get their energy back and help keep away sore muscles the next day.

He packs everything up in the fridge, then fills a couple of plastic bottles with cherry juice and puts them in the freezer. He can take them frozen, so they'll melt while they spar.

He moves down to his living room and turns on his TV, intending to check what's new on Netflix before he has to leave, but loud knocking stops him

"Open up, blondie!" Ace's voice shouts and Sanji rolls his eyes.

He puts his smoothie down and hurries to open the door before his best friend can knock it down. "What do you want, Ace?"

"Well, hello to you, too," Ace snaps, pushing past him. "Ooh, what are we watching?"

"I was barely about to pick something," Sanji sighs, following along. With Ace, it's always best to just go with the flow. "How did you know I was here?"

"I didn't," Ace shrugs, already browsing through titles. "Ooh, Sense Eight. Sexy."

Sanji rolls his eyes again—he does that a lot when Ace is around—and takes a seat on the recliner, grabbing his glass before Ace can steal it.

"Went to see if I could get a free meal out of you when your dad told me you took the day off. Now, what I wanna know is why in the hell you chose not to tell me you had a date!?"

Oh, yeah. "Sorry, I forgot," Sanji says honestly, then winces when Ace's gaze narrows.

"You _forgot_? The most important thing to have happened to you since meeting me, and you _forgot_? I'm your best friend, dude!"

"I know, I know," Sanji says quickly. "I'm _sorry_. It's just…so much has been going on lately, it just slipped my mind."

Ace keeps glaring at him for a moment, but his curiosity has always been stronger than his anger. "So…who's the chick?"

Shit, that's right. Ace doesn't know about Zoro. Well, technically he does since Zoro is friends with Ace's brother Luffy, but he doesn't know Zoro and Marimo are the same person. Sanji never saw him again at the party and after meeting Zoro and nervously proposing a date, he kind of lost track of the other man.

"It's…someone I met at the party," Sanji says honestly. He's not afraid of what Ace will say, in the sense of Zoro being a guy. Ace is pansexual, which Sanji doesn't really get but he thinks it means Ace doesn't care about gender. His friend tried explaining it once, but they were pretty drunk at the time. So no, he's not worried Ace will say something homophobic or some shit like that.

He's worried because Zoro is Ace's friend and because, according to Zoro, Ace used to have a crush on Sanji. A crush he knew nothing about. Oh sure, Ace flirted a lot, way more before than he does now, but Sanji never really thought it meant anything. Ace flirts with _everyone._ And when Ace toned it down, Sanji simply believe it was because Ace considered him too much of a friend to try and bone him.

But Zoro did say Ace doesn't feel the same way anymore. Ace thinks of him as a friend, that's all. And yeah, Ace is hot and Sanji is now more open to the fact that he might enjoy the male form occasionally, but Ace is still his friend. Above anything.

"Ooh, was it Nami?" Ace asks excitedly. "Gorgeous red-head? Did she talk a lot about how much you make? She means well, but she can be a tad materialistic—don't worry, I'll text her so she doesn't cancel on you. I may have to exaggerate your income a little, but all in the name of love, I swear. So, when did you—."

"It's not Nami," Sanji interrupts, filing the name; Zoro mentioned her, too. "It's…do you remember Marimo?"

Ace blinks and stares at him blankly. "Wrong number guy?"

"Yeah," Sanji nods, running a hand through his hair. It's a sign of nervousness; Ace knows it's a sign of nervousness. "So…I kind of met him at the party."

"Wait, you _did_?" Ace gasps. "Is it someone I know? Shit, why did you never show me his picture? Is he hot?"

"Yeah, you know him," Sanji nods. "His name is Zoro."

"Holy _shit_!" Ace shrieks, startling the hell out of Sanji as he shoots up. "You're fucking Roronoa Zoro? Holy fucking god, of course! If there's any guy out there capable of turning lady's man Sanji Black gay is Roronoa-fucking-Zoro! Dude, how does it feel?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sanji snaps, his face completely red. He did not expect this reaction. _At all_.

"Sleeping with Zoro!" Ace exclaims, suddenly looking like a little kid. "He has this whole policy of not sleeping with friends and he's _stupidly_ picky about the people he _does_ sleep with, but hell—you _have_ to tell me all about it!"

"I haven't slept with him!" Sanji shouts, trying to make himself be heard over Ace's little freakout.

"What?"

"I said, I haven't slept with him," Sanji repeats. "We've just started dating."

"No…Zoro doesn't _do_ dating," Ace snorts. "Trust me. He leaves broken hearts every where. Many a girl—and guy—have tried to get him to settle down, but it just doesn't work."

Sanji frowns. Ace is making Zoro sound like…well, like _Ace_. And yeah, Zoro did say he didn't do the whole dating thing, but he never said he slept around. Not that it matters, of course. Sanji isn't the type of person that gets bothered over past relationships.

But…but if Zoro is like Ace, then what chance does Sanji have? Ace once confided in him that the only way he would ever start dating was if he met someone truly special, someone that could garner all of his attention. Ace loves people, he's as much a romantic as Sanji is, he just shows it differently.

Where Sanji seeks companionship in the form of emotional connection, Ace seeks it physically. It's the same thing, just in different forms.

But Sanji also knows that the only way Ace will settle down is if he meets someone who connects with him emotionally _as well_ as physically. It has to be someone damn special, if he knows his best friend.

So…if Zoro is the same…does Sanji really think he's that someone special?

Maybe they're not going to last. Hell, they've known each other for _six weeks—_ and granted, he fell in love with Kalifa in less than a week, with Violet at first sight, with Rebecca within a few hours, with Porche over night—but that's just how Sanji is. He falls quick and hard.

With the way things are going with Zoro…he gives it a month, at the most.

"Look, Sanji," Ace sighs, calming down in the face of Sanji's downcast eyes. "If you're looking for something fun, be my guest. Zoro is your guy. He's a good friend and a great person. He'll treat you right, specially if you're thinking of branching out in your sexuality. But don't think he's the answer to your 'happily ever after', okay?"

"Thanks, Ace," Sanji mumbles, staring at his hands. Maybe Ace is right. Maybe he should just look at this as something fun. He likes Zoro and if Sanji really _is_ attracted to guys, not just him, then this is a perfect way of exploring this side of himself.

It'll at least give him more chances at finding true love.

But…Zoro _did_ say he didn't do casual dating. Zoro was completely honest from the beginning. He said he didn't believe in fate or soulmates, not like Sanji does.

 _I wouldn't mind if I'm wrong_.

"Ace…do you know Kuina?" Sanji asks hesitantly, loathe to bring Zoro's personal life out like this, but he really needs to make sure he's headed down the right path here.

"Kuina?" Ace frowns. "Doesn't ring a bell. Did you meet her at the party, too?"

"No," Sanji says quickly, the knot around his heart loosening. "It doesn't matter. I…thank you for telling me about Zoro. I'll keep it in mind."

"You do that," Ace nods, grinning. "Take the chance to have a little fun, Sanji. He really is a great guy."

"I know," Sanji grins. "How do you know him? He's friend with Luffy, right?"

"Yeah," Ace nods. "He was a year below me in high school, but he became friends with Luffy first. He was a real loner back then…still is, to a degree. He doesn't do much talking and he's not really the sharing kind of person, but he cares deeply. Like I said, good guy."

So another thing Ace is wrong about. He doesn't know about Kuina, Zoro's deceased sister. And he's also wrong about Zoro not being the sharing kind of person. Zoro has spent hours talking to Sanji about practically everything. Sanji _loves_ their conversations because they're so effortless. They talk about silly stuff, stuff that would never come up in regular conversations. Like, Sanji knows Zoro is a total history nerd, a trait passed on to him from a cousin named Robin. He also knows that Zoro once ate a cricket on a dare and that he had a crush on Rob Low in _The Outsiders_.

"Wait—if he was a year below you…he's older than me?" Sanji exclaims, surprised.

"Just by eight months," Ace shrugs. "He turned twenty-three in November."

Sanji just turned twenty-two four months ago, in March—but it makes sense that he's older, seeing as Zoro is already out of college and teaching. Sanji sips on his smoothie, his mind still on Zoro, but Ace quickly brings the conversation to himself.

Surprisingly, Sanji doesn't mind Ace's escapades so much now. Before, hearing about him hitting it off with some girl made him annoyed and jealous—mostly because he wished to be in Ace's shoes—but now that he's with Zoro, it doesn't bother him.

Hell, it hasn't been bothering him for a while now, not since he started texting the other man.

His phone dings with a notification and since Ace is too busy talking about the twins he met, Sanji checks it covertly.

 _Nap time for the kids. I envy them_.

Sanji grins at the text and quickly types his reply.

 ** _You do like your sleep…you know, seeing as you slept over on a first date._**

It wasn't so bad, waking up on his sofa with Zoro asleep on top of him. The wine, paired with the late conversation, had left them both drowsy, giving Sanji the best sleep he's had in ages. He didn't get to enjoy the morning after, though, since they both woke up in a hurry to get to work.

 _It was the wine; which reminds me, what's the name of it again?_ _Pine something, right?_

Sanji snorts, the sound surprisingly loud in the quiet of his apartment, and that's when he realizes Ace has stopped talking.

"Zoro?" he asks knowingly.

"Uh, yeah," Sanji says apologetically. He types a quick **_Sorry, Ace is here_** before he puts his phone away and gives all his attention to his friend.

"You're seeing him later on today; this is friendship time—though I wouldn't mind making it sexy time," Ace adds, giving him a suggestive wink.

"You're practically watching porn already," Sanji snorts, glancing at the TV in time to see what looks like an orgy.

"Hey, this is a good show!" Ace snaps. "It just happens to have steamy sex scenes. Don't knock it, dude."

The insult to Ace's show gets Sanji into a binge watch. Of course, Ace can't watch any sort of show or movie without food, so Sanji is forced to prepare some snacks to keep the man from faking dying of hunger.

It's the first time in _months_ that they get to hang out like this, so Sanji doesn't really mind. He really _has_ been working too much; he hadn't noticed until now. Ace is a firefighter, so he works a lot, too; yet he always manages to make himself time to spend with Sanji or pursue his conquest of the week.

Spending the afternoon with Ace helps remind Sanji of why he considers the other man his best friend.

That doesn't stop him practically kicking the man out when it gets close to four.

"Hey! Bros before…bros with benefits?"

Sanji gives Ace a complete done look, then rolls his eyes. "I already made plans. _You_ just snuck your way in. Don't worry, we can hang on my next day off."

"Whoo! A _second_ day off? You're on fire, baby!"

"Goodbye, Ace."

"Text me details!"

After Ace is gone, Sanji quickly changes into his workout clothes, grabs the snacks he prepared, then hurries off to find Zoro's gym. His old plan of arriving before Zoro is all shot to hell now, but at least he won't be late.

Zoro is already there when he arrives. Since he has a gym membership, he booked a room for them. It's a wide, open space that's great for Sanji's style of fighting, though the mirror wall at the end tells him it's usually used for dance classes.

Zoro is stretching in the middle of the room when he arrives, and Sanji takes a moment to appreciate the way his grey tee stretches over his broad chest before he makes his presence known.

"You're late, curly," Zoro says, getting to his feet.

"Yeah, sorry," Sanji says earnestly. "Ace showed up, so I had to entertain him for a bit."

"You two are really close friends, huh."

Sanji grins. "Yeah. But I'm here now and ready to kick your ass."

Zoro snorts. "That's cute."

Sanji glares at the green-haired man. "Fuck you, grass."

"Just warm up, blondie. Let's get this show on the road."

Sanji may not have Zoro's size, but he's strong, too. He focuses more on building muscle for endurance and speed, not so much strength. Not to say he isn't strong, he knows for a fact his kicks can break bone, but it's just safe to assume that Zoro is stronger physically.

He turns his back on Zoro—he doesn't want to be distracted by the man's body—and starts warming up.

He starts on his upper body, stretching out his shoulders and arms, since he does a lot of handstands. He slowly moves down his body, stretching out quads, hamstrings, groin—all of his major ligaments and tendons.

It isn't until he's down in a split, his legs stretched out perfectly parallel to the ground, his chest flat on the ground as he stretches out his spine, that he hears Zoro start coughing loudly. He sits up and glances at him curiously, but he has his back to Sanji.

The only thing he can see are his burning red ears.

"You okay?" he asks worriedly.

"Yeah," Zoro replies, voice strained. "Just…something in my throat."

"I have some water in my bag."

"I'm fine; are you ready?"

"Yeah." Sanji stands up and dusts the bottom of his pants and by that time, the redness in Zoro's face has gone away.

"I have to warn you…I'm not gonna take it easy on you."

"Who wants you to?" Sanji snaps, getting into stance. "You're seriously pissing me off right now. Just get in a fucking stance and fight me, walking algae."

The new insult does just what Sanji intended: Zoro gets annoyed and switches into what Sanji recognizes as a fighting stance. His hands are loosely up, ready to either block or strike, and his feet are slightly bent and spread, firmly planted on the ground.

Sanji rolls his weight to his right leg, bringing his left knee up, body tucked in and arms held up. He won't use them to fight—never has, never will—but he needs to have them ready in case he needs to drop.

There's a moment of stillness as he and Zoro size each other up—and then, Zoro strikes.

He's fast, faster than Sanji would expect for a man his size, but he easily blocks the punch and counterattacks with a kick to the hip. It's blocked, but Sanji doesn't stop there,swiveling to return a jab to the opposite shoulder. Zoro blocks it with both hands, grunting with effort but with a wide grin in place.

It's been a while since he last sparred with anyone, but he easily gets into the hang of things. Zoro is a strong opponent, quick and strong, graceful on his feet. But it's clear he's more used to fighting with a longer reach.

Zoro told Sanji that he was a swordsman, and Sanji can see that in the way he fights. Sanji doesn't use weapons, his legs are deadly enough, so he's more used to breaching an opponent's space to attack.

He's faster, too, and he's used to fighting opponents bigger than himself.

Zoro blocks a kick meant for his midriff and tries to counterattack with a blow to the face, but Sanji pivots and hooks his foot on Zoro's leg, sweeping him off his feet.

Zoro lands on the hard floor painfully, grunting loudly when Sanji immediately sits on top of him, holding him down with his weight and digging his knees into his sides.

"Flat on your back," Sanji declares, his hands on either side of Zoro's head

Zoro's breathing hard, his eyes wide, and his mouth slightly open. "You…that was good."

"Told you I could kick your ass," Sanji grins.

The surprise in Zoro's face disappears, replaced by something softer. "Yeah…shouldn't have underestimated you. But I didn't expect for you to be able to bend your back in half."

Sanji scoffs and sits up. "You're looking at a star gymnast. I can touch my nose with my toes—forwards and backwards."

"We should do this again; next time, I'm bringing my swords."

"You have swords?"

"I'm a _swords_ man."

"No, I just thought…like _real_ swords?"

"Yeah," Zoro laughs. "Three of them. One is a family heirloom, the other one I bought, and the third one I won in a street fight."

The way Zoro speaks of them, Sanji knows Zoro's swords are important to him. And since Zoro is a swordsman, not to mention the fact that his dream is to defeat a famous swordsman named Mihawk, Sanji knows that Zoro's swords are as important to him as Sanji's hands are to him.

"I can't wait to see them," he says seriously, earning a searching look from Zoro.

The feel of Zoro's hands on his hips reminds him that he's still sitting on top of the man, and he's suddenly aware of the firm body underneath him.

"You wanna come over to my place?" Zoro asks suddenly, distracting him. "We could…watch a movie or something."

"A movie?" Sanji asks skeptically.

Zoro shrugs. "Yeah. I just…don't really want the date to end."

"It's this a date? I thought it was a sparring session," Sanji grins, but doesn't mention the way Zoro's hand have gone under his shirt, his fingertips softly caressing the sensitive skin stretched taut over his hips.

"It's a date," Zoro affirms. "Otherwise, I wouldn't do this," he adds and surges up to kiss him.

Again, the first thing Sanji notices is how soft Zoro's lips are. Not too full, they fit perfectly against his on. He's warm, still heated from their workout, and his skin is sweaty, but Sanji still wraps his arms around his shoulders to press him closer.

Zoro stops the kiss slowly, lingering, and Sanji sighs deeply. "Definitely a date," he murmurs.

It's still a little shocking to him how much he likes Zoro. He has never been interested in the male body, physically or emotionally. True, he can accept— _very_ begrudgingly—when another man is handsome, but he has _never_ been attracted to them. Was it maybe because he always saw them as rivals?

Or is it Zoro?

Is it because Zoro likes him?

No, that doesn't sound like him. After all, he remembers feeling something when Zoro sent that first picture, before he even made a pass at Sanji. He saw the picture first, then read the words.

"What are you thinking?" Zoro asks him, startling him.

"You," Sanji answers without thinking and gets to instantly enjoy the way Zoro's ears go red again.

It seems that, when he's _really_ embarrassed, Zoro's ears turn red. Huh, definitely something to think about.

"You're an idiot," Zoro says, flustered. "C'mon, get up, you're heavy."

Sanji snickers but stands up, lending Zoro a hand. "I brought us a snack. Do you like—?"

"I'm gonna stop you right there and say yes," Zoro interrupts. "I think you might be able to make me say chocolate is tasty, and I find that to be the grossest food in the world."

"Ah, I knew there had to be something wrong with you."

Zoro laughs and Sanji feels a surge of joy at the sound. "I have yet to find yours," he says, oblivious to the way Sanji's heart stutters at the words. "So for right now, your eyebrows will have to do," he continues, instantly killing the moment.

"Fucker," Sanji growls, but it's kind of hard to stay mad when Zoro's laughter is so bright.


	4. Chapter 4

The Baratie is a famous restaurant, known for its great food and splendid customer service. No one can say they have tasted better food than the one served by the blond chef Sanji, and as long as no one steps inside the kitchen, no one can complain of the classy atmosphere.

Because of it, it is not common for them to have slow days. They do get them, once every three months or so, but they're an oddity. In days like this, Zeff will usually send a couple of cooks home, since everyone often works overtime. They deserve to get a little more time with their families whenever needed, but in this particular day, no one really feels like going home.

The Baratie's kitchen is nice and cool since only a couple of flames are on, there's a nice buzz of conversation coming from the dining room, and Zeff has one of his old tapes playing softly. No one wants to give up hours in such a nice day.

Well, no one except Sanji.

"Hey, I'm taking my lunch break, old man," Sanji says to his father, stacking together the two plastic containers he prepared with food.

"Where are you going?" Zeff demands, more out of surprise than actual curiosity.

"None of your business. Why? You aren't gonna let me leave?'

Zoro tsks and waves him off. "Do whatever you want, Eggplant. Glad to see you're getting a life."

"I bet he's gonna go meet up with that new girl of his," Patty snickers. "How long has it been now? Two months? When are you going to bring her over, Sanji?"

"Fuck you," Sanji says without any heat, leaving the kitchen.

Two months. Wow. He's been dating Zoro for two months now. It feels just like yesterday that they were having steak at his place. He can still remember the feeling of butterflies in his stomach the first time he visited the man at his apartment, the excitement and heat of their first kiss. Two months…time is flying.

Sanji gets in his car, but instead of turning the ignition on, he checks his phone to read Zoro's message again.

 _My lunch hour is coming up. Wanna join me?_

Zoro usually eats his lunch while his students are napping. Most of the time, he joins the other teachers, but he assures Sanji he doesn't mind blowing them off to spend the hour with him.

 _I rather be with you_ , he had texted, causing Sanji's face to burst into flames and Carne to think Sanji was looking at something inappropriate in his phone. His leg still smarts a little from the strength with which he hit Carne's ass. Damn bastard, accusing him of watching porn at work.

Sanji shakes his head, getting rid of the memory, and returns his attention to the address Zoro texted him. He quickly copies and pastes it into his Navigator app and puts his phone on the dashboard dock. Zoro's school, Going Merry Preschool, isn't far from the Baratie and it's connected to Thousand Sunny Elementary.

The preschool is a modest, cheerful building with a large yard and colorful playground. The parking lot faces the backyard and Sanji grins when he sees the large treehouse built near the playground that has a sheep's head for a figurehead. What kind of treehouse has a figurehead?

It's not hard to find the front office, despite Zoro's warnings, and Sanji automatically smiles when he sees the young, pretty receptionist.

"Hello, how can I help you?" she asks, returning his smile.

"I'm here to see Zoro. Uh, Mr. Roronoa? " Sanji says, a bit nervously

She frowns, but it quickly smooths out. "His classroom is down the hall to the left, last room. I'll call him and let him know you're coming."

"Thank you, dear," Sanji says kindly.

The halls are all decorated with drawings and posters, clearly drawn by little kids. There are banners hanging from the ceilings, bulletin boards stretched over walls, and he can hear laughter and kids talking behind the closed doors.

Zoro's classroom door is bright green, the frame surrounded by different drawings. Block letters above the door tell him the drawings are supposed to be what the kids want to be when they grow up and Sanji can see astronauts, firefighters, vets…all the usual jobs.

He takes a deep breath and smooths out his coat. He's still dressed in his chef's whites, something he doesn't usually wear. Most of the time, when it's really busy, Sanji is in charge of making sure the dining floor continues working smoothly and that every customer is being well taken care of. That requires him to look professional, which is why he wears suits. But when Sanji has to stay in the kitchen, he wears his uniform. It's not about looking classy, a chef's uniform is also practical.

He did take the hat off, though. He looks stupid with hats.

He knocks quietly on the door, his ears easily picking children's voices. He's not good with kids. They don't usually like him, maybe because he's too rough. He likes them well enough, they just make him nervous.

What if Zoro's kids don't like him? He knows for a fact Zoro adores his students and if one of them doesn't like Sanji, or if he messes up and makes one of them cry, or—

The door opens and his mind is forced to send his panicking to the back.

"Hey! You made it," Zoro beams, quickly leaning in to give him a small kiss in the cheek before letting him in.

"Uh, yeah," Sanji says, looking around the room.

The room itself is big, but it looks small because of everything that's packed in. The floor is carpeted, of course, and all of the walls are covered in color paper. There are drawings and stickers everywhere, including a board that reads WHAT I'VE READ, followed by printed out covers of books. There are short bookshelves lining the walls, filled with books, and a whole corner that has been painted to look like a forest. There are plush chairs and bean bags in that corner, a perfect reading nook. The tables are short, the chairs shorter, and the children's names are taped to the tables to tell them where to sit. The back wall is filled with cubbies on the wall, where Sanji can see the kids' backpacks and lunch bags.

It's a typical preschool classroom and it suddenly makes it so very real that Zoro is a freaking _preschool teacher._

The middle of the room has been cleared for the children to be able to lay down on the floor, each one wrapped up in blankets and their heads laying on pillows.

"I was just about to read them a story," Zoro murmurs. "You can sit at my desk."

Sanji nods mutely and quickly moves to the back of the room where he can see Zoro's desk. It's surprisingly bare, but the chair itself looks comfortable.

"Alright kids," Zoro says loudly to his students. "Where were we?"

"You were going to pick a story," a girl with long pigtails says, looking at Zoro with stars in her eyes. Sanji can relate.

"Ah, that's right. Well, which story do we want to read today?"

" _Green Eggs and Ham!"_

"No, let's read _Charlotte's web!"_

 _"_ We always read that one! We can read _The very Hungry Caterpillar_!"

"No, tell us the story about John Henry!"

"That one? We read that yesterday," Zoro says, but the kids are quick to plead, giving Zoro wide-eyes looks and pouting lips. "Alright, I get it," he laughs. "You guys comfortable?"

"Yes!"

"Okay…now, how does that story start? Hmm?"

"John Henry was a mighty man!" a kid exclaims. "You know this, Mr. Roronoa!"

Sanji snorts, but Zoro ignores him, instead acting surprised. "Of course I know this! How could I forget? That's right, John Henry was a mighty man. When he was born, birds came from _everywhere_ to see him. Deer and rabbits, bears and foxes, all kind of animals came out of the woods to see him."

"And a unicorn, too, right?"

"Of course. _All_ animals. Even the sun was peeping from behind the moon's skirts, trying to catch a glimpse of the mighty newborn baby. Now, John was born a slave in the 1840s, but he was freed after the war. He went to work as a steel driver and he was the strongest, most powerful man working the rails."

"You have to sing the song!"

Sanji's eyes widen at the words and he can see Zoro's ears turn red even from where he's seated at the desk. He perks up, smiling from ear to ear, as Zoro clear his throat.

"A song? You guys need to go to sleep!"

"Please? Mr. Roronoa, we will! If you sing the song!"

"C'mon, Mr. Roronoa, please!"

"Yeah, Mr. Roronoa," Sanji pipes in suddenly, enjoying the way Zoro's shoulders tense up. "Sing the song."

"Alright, fine!" Zoro snaps, flustered. "But you guys close your eyes and try to sleep."

Instantly, two dozens eyes close as the kids pretend to go to sleep. Zoro runs a hand through his hair and shrugs his shoulders, clearly uncomfortable with Sanji's stare.

" _Well, c'mon, John. You're the one that we're depending on. Swing that hammer with all your might. I know you can show them how to do it right,_ " Zoro sings softly, and Sanji's heart stops. " _John Henry, John Henry, John Henry is a mighty many. Born with a hammer—a ten pound hammer!—a twenty pound hammer!—right in his hand."_

Zoro's voice is rough, of course, a deep baritone that comes from deep within him. But it's pleasant, carrying a comforting tone that makes Sanji feel warm and protected. He can see why his students love hearing him sing, if this is how it makes everyone feel.

 _"I heard John's mama liked to sew at night, so he pulled down the moon for a little bit of light. Took a lot of cooking to keep John fed: ten dozens eggs and eight loaves of bread."_

The song is upbeat, not the kind of song usually sung when trying to put kids to sleep, but Sanji finds himself closing his eyes, all to better hear the way Zoro sings. It's pleasant, not the best singing voice in the world, but he likes it anyway. He could listen to Zoro sing all day long.

It doesn't take long for the children to actually go to sleep, but Zoro still sings the song until the very end, and Sanji finds himself strangely enthralled by the story of the mighty John Henry, the strongest steel driver the world has ever seen.

"You're an asshole," Zoro says after he finishes the song, turning to glare at him.

Sanji simply grins. "I know. It was worth it."

"Hn. Well, at least you brought me food. What is it this time?" Zoro asks eagerly, walking up to sit on his desk. Sanji leans back on the desk chair and moves the plastic containers closer to Zoro.

"It's a surprise. Open them up."

Zoro frowns, but he does as Sanji says. The blond watches him closely, unable to keep from smiling happily when he sees surprise and joy in Zoro's face as he looks at the meal.

"Onigiri! How did you know this is my favorite?"

"I didn't," Sanji replies simply, wrinkling his nose when Zoro practically swallows a rice ball whole. "I just realized I've never made you something from Japan, even though I've known you're Japanese for months now. Onigiri is pretty common over there, right?"

"It's the best," Zoro sighs, mouth full. "The ones with tuna inside are even better. Kuina used to suck at making these, but I liked them so much, I still ate them."

Sanji's smile softens. "I wish I could've met her."

Zoro meets his eyes and grins. "She would've liked you. Well…maybe not at the beginning because you're all weird and pervy around women and she _hated_ that kind of stuff, but…if she'd gotten to know you better, then yeah."

"I am not _pervy_ around women," Sanji exclaims insulted.

"Your nose started bleeding when you met Robin," Zoro reminds him flatly.

"That was completely unrelated," Sanji lies, avoiding Zoro's gaze. Zoro's cousin is very beautiful, and just as terrifying as the green-haired man. Actually, she might be more terrifying.

The door opens, keeping Zoro from calling Sanji out on his lie, and Sanji looks up to see a pretty woman walking in. She's tall and shapely, her long black hair brushing her narrow waist.

"Hey, Zoro!" she whispers-exclaims, glancing at the sleeping children.

"Hey, Baby," Zoro greets her. "What's up?"

"Excuse me?" Sanji exclaims, hurt and anger mixing inside him at the endearment. Does Zoro know her? Are they exes? Why would he call her that?

"N-no, that's her name," Zoro says quickly. "Baby's her name."

"I know, pretty weird name," Baby laughs. "My last name is Five, so at least I wasn't born a boy; my mother wanted to name me Jackson."

"Oh," Sanji exclaims, his hurt vanishing. "Not at all; it's a very pretty name. I'm Sanji, nice to meet you."

Baby smiles. "What a gentleman. Do you men mind if I join you?"

"That's fine," Sanji says before Zoro can turn her away. "We don't mind."

Baby sits next to Zoro, placing a pink lunch bag on the desk. "Oh, that looks delicious, Zoro! It's onigiri, right?"

"Yup; and you can't have any," Zoro says, glaring at Baby.

"I wasn't going to ask! for any"

"Hmph. You steal my food all the time."

"I do _not."_ Baby huffs and turns her head, her long hair hitting Zoro's arm since they're sitting so close together. "Anyway…did you make this, Sanji? You're a chef, right?" she asks, motioning to what Sanji is wearing.

"Yes, I am, dear," Sanji answers, smiling. "Here, you can have some of mine. Don't mind Zoro, he's a rude one."

"He's alright," Baby says jokingly, taking the rice ball Sanji hands her. Sanji eagerly watches her, waiting to see her reaction. Watching people eat his food for the first time is one of the things he enjoys most about being a chef. Just getting to see their faces the moment joy and bliss hits them…it's amazing.

"Oh my _god_ ," Baby moans around a mouthful. "This is _delicious!"_

"Thank you," Sanji says, grinning.

"Wow, Sanji! Where do you work?"

"I work at the Baratie; little place over in All Blue street."

"Not so little," Zoro snorts. "They're pretty popular."

"Oh, I've gone there before," Baby muses. "Yeah, I can see you working there. Their food is amazing."

"Well, I'll let the others know. Chefs love praise, you know," Sanji says, winking, and gets to enjoy the way Baby laughs with her whole body. She looks adorable, especially the way her nose scrunches up and her eyes squint.

"So, you work with Zoro a lot?" Sanji asks, eager to hear stories about Zoro. All of his friends complain that Zoro doesn't let them visit him at work, so he still doesn't know the preschool-teacher side of Zoro very well. It's one thing to hear stories from Zoro, and a completely different thing to hear it from a third point of view.

He wants to know _everything_ there is about to know his boyfriend.

"Yeah, my classroom's next door," Baby says. "Our kids often get grouped together."

"Baby started working here two years before me," Zoro adds. "She really helped me out at the beginning."

"It was nothing! You needed my help," Baby says, smiling at Zoro.

Zoro's desk phone rings, startling Sanji so bad he almost drops his food. Zoro snickers and Sanji glares at him, but he can't do anything before Zoro quickly answers the phone.

"Roronoa here," he answers, holding up a finger to stop Sanji from talking. "Yes…uh huh…alright. Yes, sir." Zoro hangs up and groans, running a hand through his hair. "That was O'Hara. He wants to see me."

"Ooh, you're going to the principal's office~!" Baby says, giggling. "You're in _trou-ble."_

"Shut up," Zoro mutters, though he has a small smile on his face, too. "I won't be long," he tells Sanji.

"Don't worry," Sanji says. "Baby'll keep me company."

Zoro gives him a sharp glare, then huffs and stomps out. Sanji rolls his eyes, then turns to face Baby, another question already on the tip of his tongue.

Baby talks before him, though. "So…you and Zoro must be pretty close, huh."

Sanji startles, surprised. "Uh, well, yeah," he answers, feeling strangely odd talking about this. Are he and Zoro close? They've known each other for little over three months now, one in which they only knew each other through text… _are_ they close? "Why do you say that?" he asks curiously. Maybe Baby knows something about Zoro his friends don't know. After all, people act differently in every situation.

"You're the first friend Zoro has brought to work." Baby shrugs. "He almost always eats alone. He never talks about his friends or anything."

"Oh. Well, I did bring him food," Sanji says.

"No, that's isn't it," Baby says, shaking her head. "But…well, I know I just met you, but can you do me a favor?"

"Anything, dear," Sanji says immediately. Yeah, he's with Zoro now and he's not looking for a relationship anymore, but his beliefs are still the same. And men are always supposed to obey a woman's will.

"Do you think you could talk to Zoro about me?" Baby says quickly, leaning in to grab Sanji's hands between hers, her eyes earnest. "I just…he's always so closed off so I never know how to talk to him! It might be a tall order, but do you think you could help me?"

Sanji stares at Baby with wide eyes, his heart hammering. "You want me…to help you hook up with Zoro?"

"Not hook up," Baby says, wrinkling her nose cutely again. "I want the real thing. A lot of people have told me he doesn't do relationships, and I know…I know he sleeps around, but…I think I can change him."

"I…" Sanji doesn't know what to say. Baby likes Zoro. She wants to be with him.

Well, Sanji is used to this scenario, at least. It's not the first time Sanji has been asked to help a girl hook up with someone else. It's one of the reasons why he always disliked men, why he was always starting fights with them. It has happened countless of times with Ace, and it used to piss him off so badly…

But now. Well, now it feels different. Because now, he doesn't feel jealous of Zoro. He isn't hurt that Baby is not interested in him. He doesn't feel less than, doesn't feel like a failure.

He's just a bit awkward, but who wouldn't be in a situation like this?

"I don't think I can help you," Sanji says honestly, deciding the truth is the best policy.

"Eh? Why not?"

"Because _I'm_ dating Zoro," Sanji says apologetically.

Baby blinks, confused, then she blushes bright red and lets go of Sanji's hand. "Oh my god! I'm _so_ sorry. I had no idea! How embarrassing!"

"Oh…no, it's fine," Sanji says quickly, trying to comfort her.

"I never would've thought," Baby mumbles, then quickly corrects herself. "Not that I think there's anything wrong with it! We're a _very_ progressive school, you know. I have nothing against homosexuality. It's just that Zoro doesn't really look like—not that you do!—not that gays _have_ to look a certain way, it's just that I have this friend and he _looks_ gay…not that you can look gay, I'm not one of _those_ people, and please make me stop talking now, please, I'm rambling and I'll only embarrass myself even more—."

"Baby, it's fine," Sanji interrupts, unable to keep a smile from surfacing. "Really, it's _fine_."

Baby takes a deep breath and nods, then lets it out slowly. "Thank you," she finally says normally.

"Don't worry about it," Sanji reassures her. "I don't mind."

"You're such a dear, Sanji," Baby smiles. "I can see why Zoro chose you. Now that I think about it, you two do make a cute couple."

"Um…thank you?"

"So, how long have you two been dating?" Baby asks curiously, a strange sparkle in her eyes. It's the same one Nami had when he met her, the same one that shone in Robin's eyes after Sanji had stopped his nose from bleeding. It's a gleam that makes him slightly uncomfortable.

"About two months," Sanji replies.

"Really? I didn't notice anything!" Baby laughs. "Zoro hasn't changed a bit. Well, he really do likes to keep to himself, you understand. Doesn't it get a little annoying, though? How closed off he is?"

"Not really," Sanji says, shrugging. Zoro isn't closed off at all. It still surprises him when people speak of Zoro as if he were this great enigma, secretive and furtive by nature. Zoro is a dork that likes to argue and fight for fun and loves being the little spoon during cuddles. There's nothing mysterious about that.

"There probably isn't much talking going on, huh?" Baby winks and nudges him, as if sharing some huge gossip. "This happened a really long time ago, so don't worry about it…but Lisa Briggs—she's one of the math teachers next door at Thousand Sunny—slept with Zoro once after a faculty Christmas Party and she said he was _amazing!_ Best she's ever hard! You're _so_ lucky. But you know that, of course."

Baby laughs and pats him in the back, but Sanji only manages a half-hearted smile that somehow still looks like a grimace. Hearing about Zoro's ex-partners doesn't make him upset, though it _is_ slightly off-putting. No one wants to know things like that. But Sanji understands that Zoro has slept around and he doesn't care. What's making him uncomfortable is Baby's assumption that he has already slept with Zoro.

Ace assumed the same thing at the beginning. So did Nami, Robin, Usopp, Chopper, Brook… _everyone_ Sanji has met so far has assumed one way or another that he and Zoro have already slept together.

And they haven't. Hell, they haven't even touched each other like that. The most they've done is making out heavily while grinding against each other, and once Zoro sneaked his hand under Sanji's shirt to play with his nipples.

He stopped that pretty quickly, embarrassed by the sound he made.

It's not that he's worried about Zoro or anything. Despite the fact that everyone keeps acting surprised to hear that he and Zoro are dating, despite the fact that everyone warns him not to get too invested—including Zoro's friends—Sanji has never once felt that Zoro is dating him only for sex. Zoro never pushes, never acts like all he wants is sex. He isn't upset when Sanji keeps their kisses innocent, he never makes snide comments, or tries to guilt Sanji into doing something more.

He always lets Sanji lead, and that time he played with Sanji's chest, he apologized after Sanji stopped him for making him uncomfortable.

So yeah, he's not worried in the least in that department.

His worries all lie with himself. Like…what if Sanji doesn't like the sex? He's never dated a guy, and while he knows what goes where, he has no idea how it feels or even how things get started. Or what if he's not any good at it? Despite the fact that Zoro is only eight months older than him, he has a lot more experience. Sanji has only had sex twice, while Zoro has already lost count.

They both lost their virginity at sixteen, but while Sanji didn't sleep with anyone else until he was eighteen (and to this day, he hasn't slept but with two people), Zoro continued having sex regularly until a couple of weeks before Sanji accidentally sent him that picture of himself.

But the thing that worries him the most is that he's in love with Zoro.

He accepted that weeks ago. It wasn't a huge revelation, it wasn't a shock, it wasn't some great epiphany. Sanji may not know much about sex, but he's an expert in love. He's been in love more times than Zoro has had sex, and each time, he falls just as deep and hard. It doesn't matter if it takes a minute or months, all of his loves are dazzling and powerful, all of his loves sweep him off this feet and leave him dazed and confused. He loves deeply and unconditionally, passionately and irrevocably.

Sanji falls with all of his heart and soul, and he falls easily.

So it didn't really take much for him to realize he's in love with Zoro. It didn't really surprise him, either. He simply hasn't said it because he knows Zoro doesn't feel the same way yet, and he doesn't want to make things awkward. He learned pretty soon that telling someone you're in love with them too soon never ends well. He once fell in love at first sight with a pretty blond and she slapped him across the face when he confessed, after which her boyfriend punched him.

The love he felt for that girl was just as powerful as the love he feels for Zoro. It's the same potency, but it's _different._ Each of his loves is different, makes him _feel_ differently.

And the love he feels for Zoro is hope and it's expectation, it's attraction and reciprocity. Loving Zoro makes him feel confident and strong. Loving Zoro makes him feel brave and adventurous. Loving Zoro feels like falling in love every second of every day, yet it's always like falling in love for the very first time. This love doesn't hurt, it can _never_ hurt because this love is happiness at its purest. He doesn't _want_ this love to hurt. He doesn't want to experience the heartbreak that this love will bring because he doesn't see a way he can recover from it.

And things are going so well with Zoro, Sanji doesn't want to do anything to ruin it. Things are perfect as they are, he doesn't want to change a thing. But the way people keep bringing up sex, all of them giving him slightly varying looks of pity, makes him anxious.

So he stops Zoro. He's afraid of change. For the very first time in his life, he's afraid of giving himself fully, because every time he does, things go wrong. So it tends to reason that it's his fault, right? He's the only constant in every situation. There _has_ to be something wrong with him.

He doesn't want to find out if sex is going to be the reason he and Zoro break up.

"Oh, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," Baby says, breaking the tense silence Sanji's worries created. "Damn it, I always do this! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up Zoro's past flings—damn it, I'm doing it again!"

"Don't worry about it," Sanji says before Baby can start rambling again. "I don't mind. Zoro has been totally honest with me, so I already know. And no, I wouldn't know, since Zoro and I haven't slept together."

Ah, there it is. That familiar expression of surprise, then confusion, followed by disbelief, and finished off by pity. Really, Sanji only shares that private tidbit to see if everyone will react the same and so far…they all have.

But before Baby can say anything, the door opens and Zoro walks in, looking slightly annoyed.

"Hey, sorry about that," he says immediately to Sanji. "O'Hara wanted to talk to me about the new program to get the kids to be more active. He wants to put me in charge of it."

"That's amazing, Zoro!" Baby exclaims, jumping up to hug him. "It definitely fits you!"

"Congratulations, marimo," Sanji says, smiling. "Is this like a promotion or something?"

"Not really," Zoro shrugs. "It's more like coaching…basically, I have to figure out ways to make the kids more interested in physical activities. Maybe start a couple of little league teams or something like that. It extends to the kids at Thousand Sunny, along with all the kids in the Grand Line School District, so it's a pretty big project."

"Oh, I get it! My old elementary school used to do this sort of Olympic-type thing. I always won all the races," Sanji says proudly.

"That's not a bad idea," Zoro murmurs thoughtfully. His phone starts beeping and Zoro quickly takes it out, groaning when he looks at the screen.

"Time to wake them up?" Baby asks knowingly.

"Yeah," Zoro sighs. "Sanji, I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Sanji says easily. "I get off early today, if you want to stop by my place."

"I'm sorry, I can't. Robin wants me to spend the day with her since she just came back from that expedition," Zoro says apologetically. "But, tomorrow?"

"Full day shift." Sanji sighs. "Weekend?"

"Weekend," Zoro says readily. "Full on cheesy date, just like you like them. I promise."

Sanji smirks. "Just like I like them? Are you going to let me bring you flowers and let me pay for dinner?"

Zoro scowls, then winces, then sighs again. "Fine. But I get to pick the movie."

"Fine," Sanji agrees easily.

"You guys are _so_ cute!" Baby exclaims, startling them. "You're perfect for each other!"

"Er…thanks, Baby," Zoro says, giving Sanji a slightly confused look.

"You're welcome! Sanji, it was so nice meeting you. If you ever need me, I'm here for you. Zoro, same goes to you."

"Bye, Baby," Zoro says, huffing out a small laugh as Baby waves excitedly and quickly leaves.

"I better be going, too," Sanji says, cleaning up Zoro's desk. "The old man is gonna give me shit if I'm late."

"Hey, I'm sorry again about this," Zoro says quickly, stepping close.

"It's fine," Sanji assures him again. "I'm getting a date out of it."

Zoro smiles and steps even closer. Sanji ignores the familiar feeling of butterflies in his stomach and turns to meet Zoro's lips, closing his eyes and sighing into the sensation. Zoro moves slowly and Sanji shivers when he feels the rough pads of his fingers touching his cheek. He loves kissing Zoro. If he could, he would kiss him every day, all the time. The feel of his heat so close, the slide and glide of his slightly plump lips, the taste of steel and sake in his mouth…it's all perfect.

The way Zoro kisses like there's nothing else he rather be doing that being here, next to Sanji, only makes him fall harder.

"Bring me a bouquet of thistles," Zoro says as soon as he stops the kiss.

"What?" Sanji frowns.

"For my flowers," Zoro explains. "Robin says they're my type of flower. Whatever that means."

"I'm not gonna bring you thistles!" Sanji exclaims. "That's not—wha—they're not—no!"

Zoro makes a face and scowls. "Hmph. What kind of boyfriend doesn't even bring his date the right kind of flowers?"

"This one," Sanji says firmly. "You're getting roses. But just to show you what a great boyfriend I am, I'll get you wine instead of chocolates. Happy?"

"Always," Zoro says, his scowl giving way to a smile. "Make sure you—."

Zoro is interrupted by the sound of one of his students waking up. The little girl yawns loudly, sitting up and rubbing her eyes, then looks around the room slightly confused. " "Mr. Roro?"

Zoro freezes and Sanji blinks. Slowly, he turns to look at his boyfriend with the widest shit-eating grin ever. Seriously, it hurts a little. Zoro looks at him, fear in his eyes.

"Sanji, don't you _dare_ —."

"Roro?"

"Sanji."

"Zoro Roro?"

" _Sanji_."

"Yes, Zoro Roro?"

"I hate you."

Sanji laughs until tears spill from his eyes. He laughs so hard he accidentally wakes Zoro's students. He laughs until his stomach hurts and until Zoro joins him, chuckling slightly.

He laughs, and he falls just a little bit more.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks for all your comments and reviews, I really do love reading them! And what better day than to thank you than on Thanksgiving! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday, and to those that don't celebrate it, have a wonderful day :)**

* * *

The familiar sound of an incoming message goes unheard as Zoro continues his set. He's lost count of his reps, his mind lost in the music playing through his earphones, but he knows he's close to being done. He's done this enough times that he knows his body pretty well.

His arms are screaming at him to drop the weights, but he pushes on through. They're not that heavy, but he's been at this for a while. Still, his stubborn nature is telling him not to give up until the song is over, so he grits his teeth and continues his bicep curls until the melody starts to fade.

"Fuck!" he groans, dropping the heavy weights and letting his body relax against the matted floor. He specifically looked for an apartment with two bedrooms to put all of his exercise equipment in. He prefers going to the gym—he somehow manages to concentrate better there—but there are times when he doesn't have enough time and having a small home gym comes in handy.

His phone buzzes, letting him know he has an unread message, and he curiously grabs it. Just like expected, it's from Sanji. Zoro runs his thumb across the screen, unlocking it, and his eye eagerly rakes over the incoming picture.

The frame is filled with Sanji's handsome face, the blond smiling widely and giving him a thumbs up. He looks like a little kid with his huge grin and sparkling eyes and Zoro finds himself copying the grin automatically. His eye flicks down to read the caption **_I'll see you in an hour, roro-marimo. Be ready to be romanced as fuck._**

Zoro rolls his eyes, shrugging off the small spark of annoyance at the new pet name, and quickly saves the picture. He feels guilt bubble up, but it is also quickly shrugged off as well.

Sanji will be here in a hour to take him out on a date just like Zoro promised. He's planning on the typical date of dinner and a movie, but Zoro has a feeling he's trying to do something more. Well, it doesn't matter. Zoro wants to go see _The Martian_ anyways, so it works out.

Even though he knows Sanji is taking him to a restaurant, Zoro still prepares himself a snack. He doesn't eat as much as Luffy, but he does eat a lot, especially after a workout. Afterwards, he spends a little while looking for something to wear, then decides it's about time to shower.

And that's where the problem comes.

Zoro's bathroom is pretty simple: there's a toilet, a sink, a shower, and a separate bathtub. He doesn't use the tub much, but his eyes instantly fall to it as soon as he enters the white room. His memory brings forth the image of Sanji in it, naked and wet, slick skin submerged in water, blue eyes dark with want.

He shakes his head and focuses on undressing himself, throwing everything in a corner to pick up later. He turns the shower head on, getting the water somewhat warm, and steps inside.

The water feels amazing, washing away the sweat from his workout and working out the kinks and knots in his muscles. He closes his eyes and stretches his neck, letting his hair get wet, and blindly searches for his soap.

He keeps his eyes closed as he starts washing himself, rubbing the bar of soap against his skin. He starts with his chest, lathering until he feels foam between his fingers, and moves his hands to scrub at his shoulders, going down his arms, then back to his chest and down to his stomach.

He keeps his eyes closed, enjoying the soothing feeling of the cool water against his hot skin.

Rough hands turn smoother, the touch becomes gentler, and his breath speeds up as he feels warm hands run up his thighs and across his stomach. Splayed fingers pinch and soothe the sensitive skin, then slowly glide down to his wakening length.

His eyes snap open at the feel of long, slender fingers, and hunger boils deep inside as his gaze falls on Sanji kneeling at his feet. His blond hair is plastered to his face, darker under the water, and his blue eyes are dark with lust as they look up at Zoro through half-lidded eyes. His mouth is gasping open, lips red and slick, and his powerful hands are wrapped around Zoro's aching cock, working the interested length slowly.

 _"Mmm, Zoro_ ," Sanji moans, mouth opening just a little wider.

Zoro can't keep himself from touching, from grabbing Sanji's face, his hand cupping his jaw and his thumb bring his lower lip down. He runs the pad of his finger across the soft skin, his mouth drying as Sanji's tongue flickers out to lick him. Zoro can hear himself breathing shallowly, can feel his body shaking with need. He can barely contain himself as he wraps a hand around his cock over Sanji's hand and guides himself closer to that heavenly mouth.

Sanji's eyes lock with his as the cook opens his mouth wider, moaning when the dripping tip touches his tongue, and Zoro moans as he's enveloped in wet, tight heat. Sanji's mouth stretches wide around his cock, his eyes seducing and cocky, his pale hands gripping Zoro's thighs with white-tipped fingers.

"Fuck, Sanji," Zoro hisses, letting his cock slip and out of that sinful mouth, feeling Sanji's tongue working the tip, his teeth slightly scrapping the top, his muffled voice echoing off the bathroom walls as he lets Zoro fuck his mouth fervidly. He can feel himself getting close, can feel the binding narrowing of Sanji's throat around his sensitive head, the spit-sodden glide of his tongue, the searing hotness working him eagerly, pulling and tugging at the volatile hunger in his belly. He's so close, so fucking close, and he grips Sanji's face tightly, pushing his cock deeper into the fiery heaven as his toes and body curls, the tightly-wound heat inside him bursting as his vision flashes white, his own voice drowned out by a high-pitched whistle that fills his ears.

Pleasure locks him down, unable to do anything but let it run its course, and when it finally lets go, his whole body staggers back against the wall. He's sweating again, his thighs and hands tainted white, and he can see the last remains of his spent washing down the drain.

"Fuck," he mutters, resting his head against the cool tiles. This isn't the first time he's fantasized about the cook, but it _is_ the first time it's left him so spent. He and Sanji still haven't done anything remotely sexual, and while Zoro doesn't mind waiting, he can't deny that he wishes for more.

He's never seen someone put together so perfectly. That isn't to say Sanji is flawless. Zoro sees them all the time. Sanji is faulty and rough around the edges. He has habits that annoy the living hell out of Zoro, and it's not just the way he acts around women. Sanji is stubborn, and while Zoro likes people who are strong-willed, Sanji's temper often clashes with his. So no, he wouldn't say Sanji _himself_ is perfect. But it's the way everything mixes together, all the little facets that make him who he _is_ …that's what perfect.

And Zoro fears he won't ever find anybody else like him, so he waits. Sex was never really that important to him, anyway. It feels good and it's a great way to workout and release stress, but other than that, it doesn't hold much meaning.

"I'm gonna catch a cold," he murmurs. He washes his stomach and thighs again, then shampoos his hair quickly before turning the shower off. He grabs his towel and quickly dries off, then wraps it around his waist and heads down to his bedroom to get dressed. Before he can do so, however, there's a knock on his door.

He frowns, not expecting anyone, but when they knock again, he moves to open the door. To his surprise, he gets hit in the face by something soft and prickly.

"What the fuck!?"

"Thistles," Sanji says, pushing past him to get inside. "See, perfect boyfriend right here."

Zoro looks down at the bouquet of flowers Sanji handed him, taking in the strangely shaped flower with prickly leaves. "It's…ugly."

"What? You asked for it!" Sanji snaps. "Don't tell me you didn't know what they were!"

"I told you, Robin said I resembled them," Zoro retorts. "Which I found insulting now, by the way."

"Nah, I totally see it," Sanji snorts. "Why are you still naked? Our reservation is in twenty minutes."

"I was about to get dressed when you knocked," Zoro says. "Wait…if you brought me these flowers, does that mean you didn't bring wine?"

Sanji grins and shows him the bottle he was hiding behind his back. "Now, what's the magic word?"

"Please?"

"Actually, it's aglet, but you look kind of hot naked and wet so I'll give you a pass," Sanji snickers.

"Idiot," Zoro mutters. "Can you find a vase for this while I go get changed?"

"Wait, you're not throwing them away?" Sanji asks surprised, taking the prickly bouquet from Zoro.

"Why would I do that?" Zoro frowns. "Don't be stupid. There should be a vase somewhere in the kitchen cabinets. Thanks."

"Uh, yeah, okay."

Zoro quickly hurries to his bedroom, letting the towel hit the floor. He changes quickly, giving himself enough time to add a little bit of gel to his hair and even some cologne. Dating Sanji has definitely made him take care of his appearance a little more, not that Sanji ever complains. But the blond cook always looks so classy that it makes Zoro want to up his game. If Sanji tries to look good for him, the least Zoro can do is return the favor.

Sanji is washing the few dishes he used after his workout, the bouquet of thistles now in a slender vase at the center of Zoro's dinner table.

"You don't have to do that," Zoro says, pulling on the collar of his shirt. Nami often gripes at him about leaving too many buttons open at the top, but Zoro doesn't like the feeling of them around his neck. It makes him feel constricted. But Sanji calls him pervert every time he pops open more than three, so he deals with it.

"It's fine; I'm almost done," Sanji reassures him. Zoro rolls his eyes and steps close to dry the dishes Sanji already cleaned. "Thanks, Zoro."

"You're the one doing me a favor, idiot," Zoro mutters, scowling when Sanji smiles at him. He can't help but remember the way his fantasy-Sanji smiled at him while kneeling in front of him, and his dick twitches.

Damn.

"C'mon, you said we had a reservation," Zoro snaps, turning the faucet off. "We're gonna be late."

"I'm coming," Sanji says, drying his hands. "Are you that eager to go out with me?"

"Yeah, c'mon."

Sanji laughs, but he follows Zoro as he leads the way out. He grabs his keys from the hook rack on the wall next to the door, and locks the door after Zoro.

Since Sanji wants to make this date 'traditional' or whatever the fuck he calls it, they're driving Sanji's car. That, and also because Sanji fell for the lies his friends told him about Zoro getting lost easily.

"What restaurant are we going to?" Zoro asks curiously as he straps on his seat belt.

"The Baratie," Sanji says. "Best place in town."

"I already get to eat your food daily."

"Are you complaining?"

"Not at all."

Sanji asks him how things are going with the Get Active project O'Hara assigned him, and Zoro tells him all about his new ideas and plans. He spoke to his boss a little more about it after school ended that day, and Principal O'Hara explained that it's actually a bigger deal that Zoro had first thought. The school is committed 100% to the project, which means Zoro has a large budget and will also be in charge of everyone involved with the project. It's a huge responsibility, but it also tells him that he's doing a good job at work, especially if O'Hara trusts him with this.

He doesn't realize how excited he is about it until Sanji starts asking questions and Zoro finds himself talking through the whole ride.

"Well, I think it's amazing," Sanji says as he parks the car in front of the restaurant. Zoro can see a one of the valets walking towards them, dressed in a blue collared shirt and black slacks. "I'm really proud of you, Zoro."

Zoro still gets surprised by the type of emotions Sanji makes him feel, but he's learned to enjoy them. "Thanks," he says, warmed to the core, and leans in to give him a soft kiss.

Sanji makes a small, happy sound, something Zoro has realized Sanji doesn't know he's making, and his hands—like always—go to clutch Zoro's shoulders. Sanji kisses like he doesn't want to ever let go, like Zoro's kisses are a special treat he looks forward to.

It does wonders to a man's ego.

Zoro has to break the kiss, smirking when Sanji follows his lips, pressing small kisses to his mouth and jaw. "They're waiting for us," he reminds him.

Sanji startles and blushes when he sees the valet waiting awkwardly by the car door, looking everywhere but at them. Sanji mumbles something under his breath and quickly clicks off his seatbelt, Zoro following suit.

"Thank you, John," Sanji tells the valet, handing him his keys.

"Your usual spot, Mr. Black?" the valet asks, tactfully pretending he didn't see anything, and Sanji nods.

Zoro is momentarily worried about Sanji's embarrassment, fearing the blond is uncomfortable being seen with him. After all, Zoro is well aware that Sanji is exploring uncharted waters with him. But his fears disappear when Sanji wraps an arm around his waist and leads him inside to the host's podium.

"Table for two, Menchi," Sanji tells the hostess, smiling at her.

Zoro notices the curious glance the girl gives him, but her attention is quickly focused on Sanji. "Right this way, Mr. Black."

Zoro lets himself be led, more interested in looking around the wide restaurant. Whenever he first heard of the Baratie, he always imagined some terribly fancy place with crystal chandeliers and white tablecloths with candle centerpieces. But to his pleasant surprise, the Baratie looks…normal. The tables are dark wood, matching the slightly darker floor, and the walls are painted a soft coral blue. There are plenty of windows that brightly illuminate the interior and makes candles obsolete. The waiters are dressed similarly to the valet, except they wear a black vest over their blue shirt and a bow tie as well.

"Your waiter will be right with you," Menchi says after they've been seated.

"Thank you," Sanji replies and she leaves. "So…what do you think?" Sanji asks him curiously.

"I like it," Zoro says honestly. "It's not as stuffy and stuck up as I'd imagined."

"Gee, thanks," Sanji says sarcastically. "Like I said, it's a simple place."

"Yeah, I wouldn't go that far," Zoro says. "So, what's the plan for the day?"

"I already told you; dinner and a movie," Sanji says. "Well, _lunch_ and a movie. It's pretty early for dinner."

Zoro raises an eyebrow. He knows there's something else, but if Sanji doesn't want to talk about it, he's not going to push. The waiter arrives, greeting Sanji warmly, and the blond orders for both of them. Zoro trusts his taste enough that he doesn't mind, not even when Sanji orders an unfamiliar wine.

"They all like you," Zoro says, watching as the waiter practically skips back to the kitchen with their order. "You must be a good boss."

"Zeff's the boss," Sanji shrugs. "Besides, I've been working here all of my life. This is practically my home, these people my family."

Zoro hums thoughtfully. "So…you brought me home? Your father is in the kitchen, right?"

Sanji's eyes widen and instantly lower. Zoro's curiosity perks up and he unconsciously leans closer to speak with Sanji. "Is that it? What's been bothering you? Are you bringing me home to meet your parents?"

He knows he hit the mark when Sanji's cheek turn cherry red, and his mouth twists into an angry scowl. "Shit, no! Fuck you!"

Used to Sanji's dirty mouth, Zoro only leans back against his chair, trying to fight the urge to drag Sanji into his lap and kiss him senseless. Meeting Sanji has messed him up a lot. Not only is he willingly giving up his secrets, throwing open every door inside him for Sanji to walk through, but his brain cells have started to confuse angry with adorable, rude with endearing, and danger with allure.

"So I'm right." Zoro frowns thoughtfully, ignoring Sanji's muttered snarl.

He's never met a parent before. Well, he's only ever dated one person, and he was in high school back then. Yet, he knows this is an important step. Zoro's mother is dead and he doesn't speak to his father anymore, so it's not like Sanji can meet them. But Zoro already introduced the gang to him, and Luffy and the others are the closest thing he has to a family now. Shit, Robin _is_ his family, and he already took Sanji to meet her.

The introduction of parents is a way of telling each other 'you're important; meet my loved ones'. It's a way to show that the relationship is so serious, you don't mind sharing him with the people that saw you grow up. And in a way, Zoro has already done that.

"We can leave," Sanji says suddenly, startling him. "I mean, you don't have to, if you don't want to. The old man just kept making snide comments about not knowing you, so I thought I'd shut him up. But if you're uncomfortable with this, I can tell him to stick it where the sun don't shine."

"Nah, it's fine," Zoro says. "I think it's time."

If Sanji wants him to meet his father, does that mean Sanji is getting more serious about them? Zoro hasn't pushed him in any way so far. He hasn't questioned Sanji's motives for being with him, whether he still feels confused about his sexuality and his attraction towards Zoro. When they make out, Zoro lets Sanji lead, but the blond hasn't tried anything.

And Zoro is willing to wait for Sanji to be ready to talk. It's already amazing enough that Sanji—who could have anyone he wants—has decided to give him a chance. Sanji took a step into the unknown deciding to date Zoro, and he's not about to mess it up by thinking with his dick.

He doesn't care if he has to wait years, months, or even if nothing sexual ever happens, it's enough to have Sanji near. He has his imagination and his hand, he can deal with his urges on his own.

But maybe Sanji is starting to feel more confident about them. Maybe this means Sanji is closer to being ready, to sit down with Zoro and talk about what this whole _thing_ means.

"Right now?" he asks.

"We can eat first," Sanji says, shaking his head. "It's pretty full out here; the kitchen is probably busy."

Their food does arrive a little late, but Zoro hardly notices, too busy staring at Sanji as he tells Zoro stories about his childhood.

"We used to have a lot of problems keeping employees because Zeff was always yelling at them," Sanji reminiscences. "Most of our older workers are all ex-cons, including Zeff himself. But they sort of mellowed out and after I graduated from high school and started working full time, things got better."

"Is that why you decided not to go to college?" Zoro asks curiously. "To help take care of this place?"

"The Baratie is my home," Sanji nods. "I've never wanted anything else but to be a chef, and I learned more working here than at any school."

"But you want to get your own place, right? Don't you have to know a bunch about how to run a business?"

"I learned that from Zeff, too," Sanji reminds him. "And besides, it's not like that it's going to happen any time soon."

Zoro frowns. He knows Sanji's dream is to have his own place, but he keeps putting it in the background to help Zeff. He can't understand how Sanji is able to be so passionate about it, yet willingly hinder himself. Zoro has been working for his dream since Kuina died—arguably, even before—and he can't imagine any reason as to why put a stop to that. His dream is a great part of who he is, and Zoro is very aware of his own person. He might not know much about others, but he knows himself perfectly. Years of training and meditation do that to a guy. You can't master anything if you're not a master of yourself. And he can't imagine being himself without fighting for his dream. Even after he defeats Mihawk—for it _will_ happen, no doubt about it—Zoro will continue training arduously to keep his dream alive. It's not just about defeating the other swordsman, is about becoming the greatest swordsman the world has ever known and _staying_ that way.

"Do you like it?" Sanji suddenly asks, nodding to Zoro's plate when he cocks his head in confusion.

Sanji ordered him salmon and white rice, paired with a white wine. It's actually pretty good, well-seasoned and perfectly grilled, but it doesn't hold a candle to the rice balls Sanji made for him three days ago.

"Yeah," he answers honestly. "Your food is better, though."

"This tastes like Carne's work," Sanji says thoughtfully, taking a bite out of his shrimp and closing his eyes. "He always goes a little wild on the seasoning, but he's an expert with red meats."

"Fitting name, then," Zoro snorts. "You can actually tell who cooked it just by tasting it?"

"Just the cooks that work here. I've eaten their meals long enough," Sanji shrugs. "We all have our own area of expertise."

Zoro tries to remember the exact taste of Sanji's meals. He's never really felt like there's a type of meal that tastes better than another. Whether it is baking, grilling, cooking, or whatever else, Sanji seems to be an expert.

"What's yours?" Zoro asks curiously.

"Seafood."

"Hmm. I couldn't tell," Zoro shrugs. "It all tastes good to me."

"That's because your palate is crap." Sanji smirks and gives him a slightly challenging look over the rim of his glass. "I need to train your mouth," he finishes, and tips back his glass. Then promptly doubles over coughing violently as his entire face turns red, grabbing the attention of the people around him.

"You okay there, smooth guy?" Zoro asks, grinning.

"I didn't meant it like that!" Sanji gasps out, eyes teary and mouth wet.

"I know," Zoro says. "You're the perverted one."

"S-shut up!" Sanji grimaces and wipes his mouth. "I'm gonna go clean up," he says, looking down at his damp pants where some of the wine spilled. "Excuse me."

Zoro watches him leave, absentmindedly taking a bite of his salmon as his eyes follow the smooth glide of his long legs, the way his pants stretch tantalizingly across his perky ass. Damn, Sanji has a _great_ ass.

Zoro sighs and looks down at his partially finished plate, shaking off the slight swelling of lust. It won't do any good to think about that now.

"Patience," he mutters, closing his eyes. He has to wait. Sanji deserves it. Sanji is worth it. He frowns when he feels movement around him, and opens his eyes to meet amazingly blue eyes.

For a moment, he thinks Sanji returned, but then he takes in the face and body and fights off a shudder. Nope, not Sanji. The man standing in front of him is blond like his cook, with startling blue eyes just a shade lighter than Sanji's, but that's where the similarities ends. This man has a short, braided mustache and normal eyebrows. He's tall with a stocky built, his face lined and rugged.

He looks familiar, and considering where he is right now, Zoro doesn't have to think hard to figure it out.

"You must be Mr. Black."

"The name's Zeff," the man says roughly, his face still set into a deep scowl. "Who're you?"

"My name is Roronoa Zoro," he says politely. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"Roronoa? That's a stupid name."

Zoro turns to face the two other people he felt, yet didn't care enough to acknowledge. The two men are dresses in chef's whites similar to Sanji's. They're older men, one of them slightly comical since his forearms appear to be bigger than his biceps, and the other one with a weathered face and buzzed beard.

"It's my last name," Zoro snaps. "I'm Japanese. My name is Zoro."

"Like I said, stupid name."

"Shut your trap, Patty," Zeff says flatly, and Zoro turns to look back at him. Sanji always tells him that he looks more like his mother, but looking at Zeff right now, he doesn't believe it one bit. He doesn't see anything familiar in the actual facial features, just the hair and the eyes, but the fire shining in Zeff's eyes is the same one Sanji possesses. The scowling face, the narrowed eyes, the irritated air…that's all Sanji.

"So you're who that shitty brat is dating, huh?"

"I am," Zoro answers, keeping his answer simple. Zeff doesn't feel particularly friendly right now, and Sanji has told him enough about the man for him to know the older cook probably doesn't like him.

"Ha! You owe me a hundred bucks, Carne," Patty tells the other man.

"Huh? You said he was dating an ugly chick!"

"And I was right!"

"Do I look like a woman?" Zoro growls, glaring at the pair. He knows them, too, though Sanji doesn't talk much about them. They've known his cook since he was little, having been the first cooks Zeff hired.

"No, but with a wig you would make one ugly chick!"

"Where do you work?"

Zoro turns to look at Zeff again, scowling. "I'm a teacher."

"What do you teach?"

"Kindergarten."

"Poor kids."

"Patty, shut your damn trap." Zeff glares at the cowed cook, then returns to Zoro. "What do you think of Sanji?"

Zoro frowns. "What do you mean?"

"Why do you like him?" Zeff explains. "Why are you dating him?"

Zoro opens his mouth, but no sound comes out. Why is he dating Sanji? Why does he like him? Well…where does he even start? He finds Sanji attractive, obviously. He doesn't think he has ever met someone that can get him going quite like Sanji. And the cook hasn't even done anything to him.

He likes the way Sanji fights. He's like a whirlwind—no, like a deadly dancer, beautiful and graceful, leading to the beat of danger. He looks so unassuming, so harmless…and then he's starts moving, his body as beautiful and deadly as Zoro's blades, and you know you've messed up underestimating him.

He likes the way Sanji cooks. He likes hearing him sing under his breath in French, the way his hips move to the beat of imaginary music. He likes watching his hands, especially when he handles knives. Sanji would've made a wonderful swordsman, if he didn't have that policy of not using his hands to fight. He likes watching Sanji taste his own food, studying every nuance and flicker, his face so expressive it's almost as if Zoro can read his mind.

He likes it when Sanji gets angry. The way his mouth twists into a scowl, the way his eyebrow scrunches up, the spiral seemingly tightening. He likes it when Sanji is happy, the way his smile stretches wide, showing off his sparkling white teeth, and the way his eyes squint a little. He likes it when Sanji is cocky, the way his holds his body straight and proud, unintentionally drawing attention to his endless legs. He likes it when Sanji is embarrassed, the way his whole face turns red, and the way he talks, using his hands to show what he's telling. He likes it when Sanji is sheepish, when he's irritated, when his shy, when he's stubborn. He likes the way his face changes drastically with every emotion, but every time remains beautiful. He likes that even though he hates how Sanji gets around women, Sanji doesn't change to try and please him. He likes that Sanji was so nervous when he met Robin, and he likes that Sanji asked him a thousand times if Robin had said anything about him after they've left her place.

He likes that, despite being turned down so many times (a fact he still finds hard to believe), Sanji is still so hopeful about love. He likes that he's a romantic. He likes that Sanji likes holding hands. He likes the way Sanji kisses. He likes that Sanji brought him thistles, even though roses are the norm for dates.

He _really_ likes Sanji.

"Wipe that dopey smile off your face, you damn potted plant," Zeff snaps suddenly, startling him. He blinks and stares at the older cook, then quickly settles his expression into something less…besotted.

"What are you doing, shitty geezer!?" Sanji snaps, appearing behind Carne and Patty.

Zeff leans back against his chair and crosses his arms, staring at Sanji unimpressed. "I'm talking with your broccoli-head."

"Oi," Zoro exclaims, suddenly aware of the insults. Marimo is already bad enough.

"So, Sanji…finally decided to start batting for the other time, huh?" Carne snickers. "Got tired of getting red-carded?"

"Baseball doesn't use cards, idiot," Sanji snaps, kicking the cook in the shin. "And fuck you."

"I knew there was something weird going on with you, string bean," Zeff says, standing up. "But I didn't know it was this level of weird."

Sanji frowns and Zoro bites his lip. He doesn't really care what people think of him, but he _is_ worried about what Zeff thinks of his relationship with Sanji. Sanji might not ever admit it, but Zoro knows he respects and admires his father very much, even looking up to him to some degree. Zeff's opinion matters to Sanji.

"I don't give a fuck what you think," Sanji snaps, but Zoro can tell he's nervous. His hand is in his pocket, probably wrapped around a cigarette, and he's avoiding locking eyes with anyone.

"Hmph. Ungrateful brat," Zeff mutters, then stands up. "I like him. Bring him home for dinner." And with that, the cook leaves, dragging the other two back to the kitchen. Zoro stares after him, mouth slightly open, and only then notices the wooden leg.

Huh.

"You're done eating?"

Zoro looks at Sanji, but the cook isn't looking at him. He's staring off to the side, his hair curtaining his face.

"Yeah," Zoro answers, quickly standing up when Sanji starts walking out. They don't speak, not when Sanji pays the bill, not when they're waiting for the valet to bring the car, not when they climb in.

Zoro is seriously starting to think he did something wrong, but before he can asks what that something is, Sanji suddenly stops the car and practically scrambles across to kiss Zoro.

He's shocked for a moment, but he will never deny Sanji a kiss, especially one as hungry, desperate, and delicious as this one. He lets Sanji ravish his mouth, lets him take his fill, and accepts the strange emotions poured forth from Sanji. He doesn't know what the kiss means, he only knows that Sanji is pawing at him, pulling him closer and whining in his mouth. He's holding him so tightly, his chest pressed against Zoro, and he's kissing him like he's never been kissed before.

When Sanji draws back to take in a breath, his lips are red and his eyes are practically black, his blueness a thin ring around the pupil.

"What was that?" Zoro gasp, his cells still trying to regroup after the mind-blowing kiss.

"It's a kiss, marimo," Sanji whispers, voice rough. "Get with the program." He moves back into his seat and takes a deep breath before backing out of small alley where he drove them. Zoro didn't even notice, hell. "So, movies?"

"Y-yeah."

He doesn't understand Sanji at all. But he likes that, too.


	6. Chapter 6

There are many things Sanji has done for Zoro he would never imagine doing for anyone else. So it isn't a far stretch for Sanji to agree to go to one of Luffy's wild parties simply because Zoro asks him to.

"Thanks, babe," Zoro's voice sounds through the phone. "See you there!"

"Yeah, see you," Sanji says and hangs up before his voice cracks. Damn, he's still not used to endearments. Zoro doesn't use them a lot, and Sanji still hasn't figured out what prompts them, but he likes them. He really fucking likes them.

So far, he hasn't used anything but baby or babe, but Sanji wonders if there will come a time when Zoro uses words like sweetheart or honey. It feels weird, thinking of Zoro saying stuff like that, so maybe it's for the best that he sticks to baby.

There's still a couple of hours before Zoro gets off work, and he knows the teacher won't come to get him until after dark, so he decides to draw himself a bath. He uses bergamot and lavender bath salts for relaxation, fills himself a glass of red wine, and puts his music on shuffle.

It's been ages since he last took a relaxing bath. He showers every day, but he's usually in too much of a hurry to take his time and enjoy the warm water. But he's off today and there's still a couple of hours before Zoro arrives.

Now that he thinks about it, it was when he wrongfully texted Zoro that he last had a bath. If he had not done so, then he would've never met the man. Sanji opens his eyes and glances at his phone. It's not too far away, placed next to his wine bottle. Should he…?

Sanji bites his lip and folds his legs. The water is getting a little bit cool, but he prefers cold showers anyway. The water is mostly clear, unlike last time, so his whole body is in display. He touches his leg, running his fingers up the sensitive skin until he reaches his stomach. He rubs the skin under his belly button and closes his eyes.

Unbidden, his mind brings up the memory from last week, when he entered Zoro's house using the spare key the man keeps under the mat, and heard him in the shower.

Zoro said his name. Sanji remembers it stark as day, the way his name sounded uttered in that rough, heavy voice. He had been too embarrassed to stay, quickly rushing out and pretending to come in later on. He hadn't brought it up, and he had quickly dismissed it, but now…

It makes sense, though…doesn't it? That Zoro wants him? Sanji is well aware that Zoro wants to do _that_ , but he hasn't said anything. Of course he hasn't, he's respecting Sanji's wishes.

But…doesn't he deserve a treat?

Sanji open his eyes and quickly grabs his phone, tapping the camera app before he can talk himself out of this. He looks at himself in the screen, blushing at the image of his naked body underneath the water. He isn't embarrassed by it, he's embarrassed of what he's about to do.

He closes his legs and brings the camera higher, this time making sure his face is in the frame. His hair is mostly dry, tied in a small knot, though there are a few wet strands sticking to the back of his neck. He doesn't look tired anymore, and his skin looks almost glowing, though he's pretty sure that's the filter of the camera.

He looks hot.

He snaps a quick picture and brings up Zoro's contact…then pauses. What is he supposed to write?

 _Wish you could join me_. No, that's too misleading. Sanji still isn't ready for that.

 _Thinking of you_. That could work. But then, that could be interpreted as Sanji doing…what Zoro was doing in the shower.

 _Brings back memories_. No, Sanji will just remind him that the first picture was meant for Porche. Does Zoro still have that picture of him? Does Zoro keep his pictures? Does Zoro _use_ his pictures for…. No, not thinking about it.

Finally, he decides to send the picture without a caption and puts his phone down, telling himself he's not worried about a reply. He isn't worried. Of course he isn't. Who cares if minutes pass? Who cares if the phone stays silent even after Sanji gets out of the bath and cleans his tub.

Who cares if it's still silent as Sanji gets dressed?

The phone dings, and Sanji practically scrambles across his room to get it from the bed.

 _I'm outside_

He runs downstairs barefoot, and stops in front of his door to catch his breath and smooth out his clothes. He closes his eyes, calms himself, then opens the door.

"Hey, Zoro—fmph!"

He's cut off as Zoro's lips crash against his, Zoro's chest slamming against him and his hands grabbing Sanji's waist. Sanji's feet momentarily leave the floor as Zoro lifts him, deepening the kiss, and Sanji can't do anything else other than grip his wide shoulders and kiss him back.

When Zoro finally lets him go, Sanji is out of breath and slightly dizzy, his heart hammering.

"You idiot," Zoro growls, burying his head in Sanji's neck. "Sending me a picture like that when I'm at work."

"Sorry," Sanji says, feeling not sorry at all as Zoro's teeth play with the sensitive skin of his neck. "I won't do it again."

"I didn't say that," Zoro mumbles and finally lets him go. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah. Let me just get some shoes on."

According to Zoro, what Luffy loves most in the world is meat and friends. He's the type of guy who befriends anyone, though he does have his enemies, and the only way to make Luffy hate you is to mess with his friends.

"He's a real protective guy, in his own way," Zoro once told him.

Also, Zoro shared with him the fact that Luffy's grandfather just so happens to be Chief of Police while his father is one of the country's biggest defense attorneys. As such, father and son are often fighting each other at court. Which doesn't make for enjoyable family dinners.

So Luffy decided the best way to stick it to his father and grandfather was to take all the money they gave him to stay out of trouble and use it to throw the wildest, biggest parties around.

He gets to piss off his grandfather, have fun, and spend time with his friends.

"Honestly, it's the safest way for Luffy to use up all his energy," Zoro confesses. "I may not agree with Garp on most things, but a bored Luffy tends to be a dangerous Luffy. That guy gets in the strangest situations."

So, it is not surprising that when they arrive at Luffy's place, the house is already packed with partygoers. Sanji doesn't mind too much, since Zoro wraps an arm around and holds him close, but Zoro scowls all the way to the kitchen, only relaxing when he gets to drink a beer.

"Damn, I'm getting too old for this shit," Zoro groans.

"You're only twenty-three," Sanji reminds him. "Don't grow out of your youth before we get to have fun."

"Zoro! You're late!" Nami yells, startling both of them. She's dressed in daisy shorts and a red tank top, her hair tied into a high ponytail, and her cheeks are already a incriminating red. She's probably buzzed.

"What do you want?" Zoro snaps, wincing when Sanji smacks him in the shoulder.

"Sanji, hey!" Nami exclaims, ignoring Zoro. "How've you been?"

"I'm great, Nami," Sanji answers, smiling. "Having fun?"

"Lots," Nami answers, giving him a cat-like grin. "But I need to steal Zoro for a moment. do you mind?"

"Hey, I'm not going with you!" Zoro says, but Sanji ignores him.

"Sure! Have fun!"

"Yay! Zoro, come with me!"

"Oi, witch—."

"Do what Nami says, marimo," Sanji says, pushing him forward. "I'll be fine."

Zoro gives him one last annoyed look but lets Nami drag him away.

Sanji drops the smile and grabs a beer. He knows it was only a matter of time before Zoro got dragged away, but he didn't expect for it to happen so soon. He doesn't know anyone in this place, unless Ace is here—which, honestly, he probably is—and he doesn't feel comfortable making conversation with complete strangers. There are a lot of lovely ladies around, but Sanji doesn't have the energy to talk to them, even less now that he has Zoro.

Wow. He must really love Zoro to not even be a little interested in the dozens of scantily dressed girls around him. He locks eyes with a pretty brunette who smiles at him, but Sanji simply grabs another beer and leaves the kitchen to go find an empty place to sit down.

Most people are either outside or in the game room, so Sanji doesn't find it too hard to claim the couch as his own. He's practically the only person sitting down, everyone else enjoying the party.

"You're such a fucking traitor."

"Why's that?" Sanji asks, rolling his eyes as he looks up at Ace.

"How many times did I ask you to come with me to a party and you always said no? And now you're dating Zoro, and here you are!" Ace complains, sprawling on top of Sanji, his head on Sanji's lap.

"I had the day off," Sanji shrugs, moving his beer out of Ace's reach. "And you're heavy; get off me."

"It's comfortable," Ace whines. "Where's the beau?"

Sanji looks across the room for the familiar green hair. Luffy's place is pretty big, mostly because his grandfather has expensive taste, but right now the place is filled with strangers. Sanji is pretty sure Luffy knows everyone here, but he doesn't know anyone but Ace, Zoro, and his friends.

"Nami dragged him off somewhere," he shrugs, looking down at Ace. "Can you please get off me?"

"Nope," Ace says, popping the 'p' and smiles widely when Sanji scowls. "So how are things with Zoro?"

Sanji frowns at the sudden question, but Ace is looking up at him innocently. "They're good," he finally answers. "He met Zeff."

"Zeff?" Ace exclaims, his smile vanishing. "Holy shit—what did Zeff say?"

Sanji shrugs. "Nothing. What did you want him to say? He likes Zoro."

"Wow, I thought—so things really _are_ serious, huh."

"Yes, Ace; they really are," Sanji snaps, his fingers searching for a cigarette in his breast pocket. "Sorry to disappoint."

Things are going great with Zoro. Even though he's working longer hours at work ever since he was put in charge of the Get Active Project, they always make sure to make time for each other. Which means Sanji has been getting less hours at the Baratie (which, for him, means working normal hours instead of always getting overtime), but Sanji doesn't really mind. And Zeff actually prefers for Sanji to work less.

"Hey, don't say that," Ace says, his mouth twisting, and finally sits up. "It's just…it's hard, you know?"

"No, I don't."

Ace sighs and leans back against the couch's back, letting his shoulder lean against Sanji's. "Look, Sanji…I'm just having a hard time wrapping my head around all of this. Zoro has _never_ been serious about anyone, and I just can't imagine him changing so drastically. He's not the type of guy to change his mind."

Sanji sighs. He really doesn't want to talk about this. He came to his party because Zoro asked him to, and he wanted to spend more time with his boyfriend, but then Nami came along and dragged him off somewhere.

And honestly, Sanji is sick and tired of hearing other people's opinions about his relationship.

"Yeah, well. It's doesn't really matter what you think," SAnji snaps, fed up. "I know you and the others think he's gonna dump me as soon as we have sex, but I trust him."

"I'm just trying to be your friend," Ace mutters. "I've known Zoro far longer, and while I consider him a great friend, I also know what type of man he is. He isn't one for commitments. He doesn't get attached. Sanji…I just don't believe Zoro can care as much for you as you do for him."

"Then I guess you don't know him that well," Sanji hisses and walks away before Ace can stop him. He's pissed, more than pissed…he's _hurt._

He knows Ace means well. He knows Nami and the others like him. He knows they're not trying to hurt him, but…well, why don't they believe in him? Why don't they believe that Zoro can fall for him? Is it because of how Zoro is? Or is it something to do with Sanji?

Maybe Ace has seen him fail at love so many times, he just doesn't see him ever succeeding. Or maybe Zoro _did_ change a lot when he met Sanji. Sanji has never seen the Zoro the others talk about. He has never met the Zoro that doesn't talk, the Zoro that is cold and prefers to be alone. Zoro has never lied to him, has never told him there is something Sanji can't know.

So did Zoro change more drastically than Sanji realized? And if so, why?

Is Zoro in love with Sanji? Sanji can't believe that Zoro would go through so much trouble simply to sleep with him. He's not _that_ hot. Maybe it's not love, but maybe it's close.

Maybe Zoro cares about him deeply, maybe he really _is_ special to Zoro. He does't know how or why, but maybe he's just the lucky person that gets to see who Zoro really is.

His anger slowly starts to recede as his thoughts continue on their hopeful path. He can feel his belly warm and his heart beat just a bit harder, and he knows he's smiling stupidly, but he can't help himself.

Maybe…just maybe…he and Zoro are meant to be. Maybe this is what he's been looking for. Soulmates. True love. His forever after. Maybe it's just harder for Zoro to realize because he's never been in love. It _would_ explain why the others are so confused, why it seems to everyone like Zoro has done a complete personality change.

"He's in love with me," Sanji whispers, his whole body thrumming as he hears his own voice speak the words. "Zoro is in love with me."

Sanji covers his mouth as something entirely unmanly tries to escape past his lips. He can't help the rush of pure happiness and giddiness that shots through his system, nor can he do anything to stop the way his knees shake and his heart throbs.

Zoro is in love with him. Zoro loves him. _Zoro is in love with me._

"Whoa! Hey, are you alright?"

Sanji blinks a couple of times to focus on the face in front of him. "Huh? Oh, I'm fine."

"You sure?" the guy asks, worried. He's tall and pale, with a shock of red hair and, weirdly, shaved eyebrows. But despite the bad boy look, he looks quite handsome. "Your face is flushed and you look like you're about to fall over. Maybe you've had one to many?"

"Oh, I'm…" Sanji trails off, embarrassed. Shit, he needs to get a hold of himself. He can't just go around _swooning_ like a virginal maiden in the spring of love. For one, he's not a hundred percent sure of his feelings, and it's best not to grow hopeful, just in case. And secondly, he can't let Zoro figure it out. If Zoro really is in love with him, then Sanji wants Zoro to realize it on his own. He wants Zoro to think about him, to experience that wonderful feeling of realizing you're in love for the first time.

"Whoa…yeah, you need to sit down," the guy says, grabbing Sanji by the waist to steady him, and leads him through the back corridor to the dining room. It's surprisingly empty, mostly because all the food is splayed out outside and in the living room. "I'm Kid, by the way. What's your name?"

"Sanji," he answers, rubbing a hand through his face. "And again, I'm fine. Thank you, though."

Kid smiles and steps back as Sanji takes a seat, but he doesn't leave. He studies him with a curious expression, then sighs and takes the seat next to Sanji. "Nah, now I'm worried. This is a cool party, but you never know what kind of bastard sneaks in. Did you ever leave your drink unattended?"

"Are you implying someone slipped me something?" Sanji asks, a little touched that this stranger is so concerned about him. "I had two beers, and I opened them both myself."

"Oh, so you're just a lightweight," Kid says, smirking when Sanji frowns. "Can you recite the alphabet backwards?"

"I can't even do that when sober," Sanji snorts.

"It gets better with practice," Kid jokes. "So, are you actually friends with the host or are you one of the dozens that comes for the free booze?"

"I know Luffy," Sanji answers. Talking with Kid is distracting him, which is helping him calm down. He needs to look normal for when he sees Zoro again. "And you?"

"I came for the free booze." Kid's grin turns predatory when Sanji laughs, and he grabs a seat next to Sanji, turning the chair around to straddle the back. "But I wouldn't mind paying for a drink for a pretty face likes yours. Wanna get outta here?"

"Oh!" Sanji straightens, surprised. He didn't expect that question. Damn, Kid was flirting with him? The realization feels nice, but…it's not the same as the feeling he gets when Zoro looks at him. Well, he supposes no-one will ever make him feel like Zoro does. "I'm sorry; I have a boyfriend."

Kid raises a non-existent eyebrow. "Boyfriend? I don't see anyone around."

Sanji frowns. "So? He's here and I—."

"Eustass!"

Sanji startles at the sound of Zoro's voice, but Zoro hasn't seen him yet, his gaze on Kid. Zoro comes up to the taller man and to Sanji's surprise, Kid stands up and gives Zoro a one-armed hug.

"Roronoa! Man, it's been so long!" Kid exclaims, grinning at Zoro. "I've been looking for you everywhere!"

"Yeah, Nami told me you were here," Zoro replies. "And Law, too. You guys still hang?"

"Nah," Kid scoffs. "We stopped fucking a long time ago. Trafalgar turned into a real prude.'

"I said _hang,_ Eustass," Zoro snorts. "Not bang."

"Oh! Then yeah, we're cool. He was the one who told me you know that Monkey kid. Don't tell me you're actually _friends_ with that straw hat idiot?"

"Best friends." Zoro smirks. "And you only think he's an idiot 'cause he kicked your ass after you tried a pass at Nami."

"No, I think he's an idiot because he's stupid," Kid says petulantly, his lower lip jutting out. He catches sight of Sanji, still awkwardly sitting between the two friends, and suddenly grins. "Sorry, sweetheart. You're hot and all, but I'm the bros before hoes kinda guy. Gotta hang out with my man Roronoa over here."

Sanji scowls and gets to his feet angrily. "What the fuck did you just say?"

"Whoa, whoa!" Zoro cuts in, stepping between Sanji and Kid. "Yo, Eustass, back off. Sanji's with me."

"Huh?" Kid frowns. "You're fucking this guy?"

Who the fuck does this guy think he is? Sanji's scowls deepens, his anger flaring, and his feet itch for the chance to bash his head in. Are he and Zoro friends? How do they even know each other? He can't imagine Zoro ever being so…. _crude_. Rude, yeah, but this is a whole other level.

Zoro frowns, and he opens his mouth, clearly about to tell Kid off for talking like that, but Sanji wraps his arms around Zoro's waist and presses his lips to his cheek. He doesn't want to deal with Kid anymore.

"Let's go home, Zoro," Sanji whispers, letting his hand wander underneath Zoro's shirt, and he feels a surge of power when he sees Zoro's eyes dilate and the skin underneath his fingers erupt with goosebumps.

"Hey, Kid, I'll talk to you later. Okay? Bye," Zoro chokes out, tripping over his words as he wraps an arm around Sanji's shoulders and leads him out. Sanji glances back at the red-haired Kid, smirking in satisfaction when he sees the dirty look on the man's face.

He sees Ace doing jelly shots off some random girl in his way out, and smiles softly. He's happy Ace cares, of course, and now that he has this new hope inside of him, he can allow himself to feel flattered that everyone cares so much about his feelings.

"Was he bothering you?" Zoro asks him once they get outside and the blare of the music quiets down. Luffy's house is well insulated, but even if someone placed a noise complaint, the cops know well enough Luffy won't really stop partying.

"Not really," Sanji shrugs. "He's just an asshole. How do you know him?"

"We're old college buddies," Zoro murmurs. "He's a good friend, honestly, but he _can_ be kind of an ass. Especially to a pretty face."

"Are you just trying to smooth things over?" Sanji says sharply, choosing to ignore the compliment.

"Ah, I'm hoping you're not too pissed off to go grab a drink at my place."

Sanji smiles. He's been doing that a lot since he met Zoro. "I'd love that."

The drive back to Zoro's place is a short once, since he lives pretty close to Luffy's place. Zoro talks the whole way there, and Sanji tries to look like he's paying attention, but he's too nervous.

He's decided it's about time to take the next step. He's pretty certain Zoro is in love with him, and if that's the case, then there is no way anything can go wrong. He loves Zoro and Zoro loves him back.

They are meant to be, and nothing can come between that. Right?

Zoro has been so patient, so understanding. He's put his needs on hold to make Sanji happy. So far, Zoro has been the only one putting actual effort into the relationship. Not only is he abstaining from sex, but he's also willing to give Sanji a chance to date him, something Zoro's never done before.

And what has Sanji done for Zoro? Nothing.

But that's about to change.

"Are you okay, Sanji?" Zoro asks him as they enter his place. He turns on the lights and puts his keys on the bowl he keeps by the entrance. "You seem kind of…off."

"I'm fine," Sanji says quickly. Damn, he's in Zoro's apartment. Zoro's bedroom is down the hall. This is really happening.

He and Zoro are going to have sex.

He bites his lip and avoids Zoro's gaze. "Can I get something to drink?"

"Yeah, sure," Zoro says. "Grab a seat."

Sanji takes a seat and tries not to think about what's going to happen soon. Damn, he feels just like he did back in high school with Kalifa, when he lost his virginity. He had felt so overwhelmed, so fucking _inexperienced_. Kalifa was older, a regular at the Baratie, and Sanji was just a sixteen year old that looked too tall for his age.

He remembers accidentally elbowing her in the stomach and coming too soon, blowing his load in her hand before he could actually get inside of her. It was only his teenage hormones that saved him, since he managed to get it up again quickly.

His second time, with Conis, had not been much better. Conis was already quite sure she was gay, she only needed Sanji to confirm it. The whole time she looked disgusted, avoided looking at Sanji, and at the end she ended up asking him to pull out, and then confessed her sexuality.

Now _that_ had been a blow to his confidence, even though he now understands he wasn't actually what caused Conis to be gay.

But it's different with Zoro. Back then, Sanji was the only one in love. But now…now his feelings are requited. It doesn't matter if it's awkward or weird, nothing bad is going to happen…right?

Will it hurt? Will Zoro be grossed out? Will Sanji hate it? Or what if it's the complete opposite and it feels so good that he comes too soon? Will Zoro be mad?

"Hey, you're going to get wrinkles," Zoro says, sitting next to him and smoothing out the lines in Sanji's forehead. "I feel like you're thinking hard about something."

Sanji takes the bottle of water from Zoro gladly and takes a long swallow before answering. "Um, don't worry; it's nothing."

Zoro frowns, well aware that he's lying. But Sanji doesn't really want him to figure out just now anxious he is, so he leans in and kisses Zoro softly. Zoro immediately answers, returning the kiss willingly, opening himself to Sanji.

Zoro is such a great kisser. Sanji has already learned a lot from him. He never knew feeling someone else's tongue inside his mouth could be so…erotic. He can feel Zoro holding back, the way he pulls back his kisses when their too deep, but for the first time, Sanji pushes forward.

He leans in closer, pushing Zoro down until he's laying on the couch and weights down on him. Zoro's legs fall open and Sanji settles between them, sighing when he feels just how warm Zoro is.

"You can touch," Sanji whispers, dragging his mouth down to Zoro's neck. He needs Zoro to take the lead soon, before Sanji can mess things up.

He feels Zoro's hands slip under his shirt, running up his back to massage the pale skin, and shivers. Zoro's hands are large, the skin rough and calloused, and they leave a trail of fire where they pass. Sanji is startling aware of the hard heat pressing into his thigh, of the slight shaking of Zoro's arms around him, of the hard beating of Zoro's heart.

Slowly, hesitantly, he brings a hand down slowly, taking his time to appreciate Zoro's godly body, and stops when his fingers touch the edge of dark jeans. He startles when he hears a low whine escape Zoro's mouth. He wants this. He wants Sanji.

Sanji takes a deep breath and brings his hand lower, pressing down at the thick hardness in Zoro's jeans.

Immediately, Zoro pushes him back, holding him at arm's length by the shoulders.

"O-oi, what are you doing?"

"I'm ready, Zoro," Sanji breathes out, his whole body thrumming with adrenaline. He's happy, he's excited, he's anxious, and he's afraid. That's too many emotions to juggle a any one time.

Zoro's eyes widen and he licks his lips. "R-ready? As in…?"

"Yeah," Sanji whispers, readying himself for what's coming.

He expects for Zoro to kiss him. Or maybe hug him. Or to at least stop pushing him away. He doesn't expect for Zoro to sit up, pushing Sanji off him, and look at him expectantly.

"Okay; ask."

Sanji stares at Zoro, confused. Ask? Ask what? Wait…does Zoro want him to _ask_ for sex? Does Zoro want him to like… _beg_? Is this a kink? Does Zoro get off on things like these?

Sanji's first instinct is to tell him to fuck off. He doesn't like begging, he has his pride after all, but…well, it's different during sex, right? If this is what gets Zoro off, then shouldn't he at least try? It's all about give and take.

"Zoro, will you fuck m—mmmh!"

"Not that!" Zoro shouts, his face tomato red, his hand covering Sanji's mouth. "What the fuck, Sanji!?"

Sanji stares with wide eyes, surprised by Zoro's sudden reaction. His hand is covering almost his whole face, so he can't talk and he can only see Zoro through the man's fingers.

"I didn't meant ask that!" Zoro continues, calming down, and moves his hand away. "I meant, ask me questions."

"Questions about what?" Sanji asks, confused and a little embarrassed. Did he mess up already?

"You said you were ready to talk about this, right?"

"I'm ready to have sex with you," Sanji explains, frowning.

"Exactly; so we have to talk," Zoro insists. "What, did you think I was waiting to fuck you?"

"Weren't you?"

Zoro's eyes narrow and Sanji feels a sudden rush of cold air. Zoro's pissed, and he has no idea why.

"I'm not dating you to sleep with you, Sanji," Zoro growls out, face dark. "You said at the beginning that if I wanted to date you, I would have to give you time to get used to the idea of being with a guy. So I gave you time. Did you really think all this time I was just waiting to sleep with you?"

"I…I never said that," Sanji denies. "I said I didn't care if you're a guy. I wanted time to get to know each other before we had sex. And now we know each other."

"But you still have never been with a guy!"

"I don't know why that's important!" Sanji snaps, his irritation rising. Damn, he's messing up already. He knew this was going to cause problems; shit, he knew this was where he was going to mess up. He should've just kept his mouth shut. "I'm not a fucking virginal maiden, Zoro! I'm not some innocent wallflower. It's just fucking sex!"

"It's not _just_ sex!" Zoro yells. "It's your fucking first time, and I don't want this to be something you fucking regret!"

Sanji stares at Zoro, surprised by the sudden outburst. Regret? He's not going to regret it. It's Zoro, after all, and they're in love. There's no way he's going to regret it…

"Zoro…if it's you…it's okay," Sanji says softly, but Zoro shakes his head.

"I want to do this right," he insists, face stubbornly set. "Your first time is important, okay? It's not just sex. With you…it means more. I don't want you to be confused, I don't want it to be painful, I don't want you feel _any_ hesitation."

"But you know what you're doing," Sanji continues. "How bad can it be?"

Zoro groans and flops back on the couch, resting his back against the armrest. "Sanji…have I ever told you about the first guy I dated?"

Sanji frowns. "Do you really wanna talk about that right now? With me?"

"I think it's important," Zoro mumbles. "I want you to understand my side of things."

Sanji hesitates. He doesn't want to hear Zoro talk about his exes; he already has enough hearing everyone else talk about his exploits, it would make everything worse to hear Zoro himself talk about it. But Sanji is still confused and Zoro looks really bothered, so maybe he can make an exception.

"Fine. Speak."

Zoro takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. "I was seventeen. Um…you know about my first girlfriend, the one that cheated on me. Well, after that happened, I didn't really care for relationships much. Why would I willingly let someone in just for them to betray me? So, you know, I slept around. It was fun, no one got hurt, and sex felt good."

Sanji crosses his arms and tries not to show how pissed off he is, but he's sure Zoro can tell, if the grimace on his face is of any indication. But he doesn't make a comment, and just keeps talking.

"I started working out at this gym around that time since the school's gymnasium wasn't the best," he continues. "I'd never really paid attention to guys, but this guy…he was thirty-three, so definitely older. And he made me feel like we were equals. Like he saw me as an adult. It was completely messed up, of course. I _wasn't_ an adult, I was a _teenager_. But I was thick-headed and stubborn, and I didn't want to look like a brat."

Sanji bites his lip. This sounds exactly how he felt with Kalifa. She was always so sophisticated and mature, and Sanji was just some kid running around dressing in suits that fit him too big.

"He was a regular, so he knew how to use all the machines and he helped me out a lot during training," Zoro says, and Sanji brings his attention back to him. "Well…one thing led to another, and we started hanging out. I thought he was kind of cool, especially since I could never beat him in a fight, and I would have done anything for him to see me like an equal."

Zoro stops here and finally opens his eyes. He sits up and meets Sanji's gaze, his face somber.

"He was huge, bigger than I am right now, and he made me nervous." Zoro speaks quietly, never breaking eye contact. "He wanted to do things I wasn't sure about. He told me it was okay, that we were both new at this, since he had never been with a guy, either. He liked to show me off to his friends, but didn't want to meet mine. He liked talking dirty, and it made me feel…filthy. Whenever I complained, he told me I was just being silly, that it was all pretend. That he didn't really think of me that way, but he wouldn't actually stop. He always made me feel guilty whenever I stopped us from doing anything, and he told me that if I was really an adult, if I didn't want to be treated like a kid, then I would have to take responsibility for the way I made him feel."

Sanji is starting to feel sick to his stomach. This sounds….this doesn't sound good. And yeah, he slept with an older person in his teenage years, too, younger than Zoro actually, but…it wasn't the same. True, Kalifa _did_ make him feel nervous. And she _was_ always joking about sexual harassment, telling him things could go wrong for him if Zeff ever found out…it was one of the reasons why he hesitated for so long to actually sleep with her. And when they finally did sleep together, it was only because Sanji wanted to please her. He was in love with, while wouldn't he do anything she asked for?

He kind of wishes he would've waited.

"I don't really consider what we had dating," Zoro continues, his voice much softer. "I mean, it wasn't like what I had with Maya. Yeah, she cheated on me, but she was my own age and she actually did care for me at the beginning. She just messed up and slept with Saga. But Daz…we were just friends, he said. It took a while, but I finally gave in. By that time, I was already living with Robin, since things with my father had gotten worse. So it wasn't that hard to sneak out of her house and meet him at some random hotel. I was scared as fuck, but of course, I never admitted it. He didn't know what to do, but he was still confident. Things got heated, I actually started to think things weren't so bad, but when he tried prepping me…it hurt. It really fucking hurt, Sanji. It doesn't matter how strong you are, how badass you may be…if not done correctly, it _will_ hurt _so_ badly. So I fucking kicked him off and ran tail out of there."

Suddenly, Zoro laughs loudly, surprising the hell out of Sanji. He jumps and glares at the other man. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Why are you laughing?"

"Man, I was so fucking stupid," Zoro chortles. "I found out he was married a couple of days later, and I actually thought about telling his wife…who just happened to be the same lady who was trying to get Robin fired from her first job. I thought, fuck it, they're perfect for each other! Man…Daz really messed me up. I mean, I found out I was bisexual through him, but I was so fucking traumatized that I didn't get with another guy until I was in college. Kid introduced me to one of his friends, this guy everyone called Killer, and he was experienced. I found out things didn't have to be as scary and fucked up as Daz made them out to be, and I straightened myself out."

Sanji stares at Zoro curiously. The man just shared a deeply and scarring memory, but he's still softly snickering to himself, looking fresh as a daisy. He doesn't look bothered in the least, he didn't hesitate once. Zoro just bared himself, admitted _fear_ to Sanji, talked about a time when he felt vulnerable and weak…and he doesn't look the least bit bothered.

"You don't want my first time to be like yours," Sanji murmurs, catching Zoro's attention.

"Obviously," Zoro snorts. "You probably don't want to admit it, but you're nervous as hell, right? You must also have tons of questions. And you're worried about it hurting."

Sanji doesn't answer, but he doesn't deny it either. Zoro just hit the mark, after all.

"I know how you feel," Zoro says. "I felt the same way. Hopefully, I haven't made you feel like Daz made me feel. I don't want you think you _have_ to sleep with me. I don't want you to feel responsible for my pleasure. Think really hard about this, Sanji…do you really want to start exploring this side of things?"

Curiosity turns to wonder. Zoro is giving him a choice here. Not only has he alleviated his fears, he just comforted the part of him that was afraid. "Zoro…why did you tell me that story?" Sanji asks curiously. "I mean…it's so personal and…it must have been hard to talk about it…but you didn't hesitate to tell me."

Zoro frowns and cocks his head to the side. "What do you mean? Why would I hesitate to talk you? I know you're not going to judge me, I know you're not going to tell anyone else. I trust you."

Sanji smiles, feeling his heart swell in his chest. "I trust you, too, Zoro. I…really like being with you."

Zoro beams. "Yeah? Well, good. I really like being with you, too."

Sanji silently thrills, his previous thought all but confirmed. Zoro loves him. He's sure of it, especially after this. Zoro saw right through him, and not only is he making sure Sanji is comfortable with how things are going, he's also willing to wait longer if he's not.

"Alright, Zoro," he says, taking in a deep breath. "Let's talk."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thanks to all the wonderful comments! You guys are great. inspiration hit and so this chapter came to be. May be considered crack, I just like to think of it as shameless self-gratification (no, not like that lol). Anyway, warnings: smut, sexy dancing, and like always, fluff.**

* * *

Taking Luffy out to eat is always dangerous business. None of them earn enough cash to pay for his meals, but when the new place at Evanston opens, Luffy is adamant that they have to go.

"I'll pay!" he declares, lower lip jutted out in determination, and of course, Nami caves.

"Alright, we're going!" she says. "Everyone, we're meeting there at six. Zoro, do you need a ride?"

"Nah, I'll call Sanji," Zoro says, pulling out his phone.

"Tell him to bring me meat!" Luffy exclaims.

"We're going to a _restaurant_ , idiot!" Usopp snaps, smacking the younger man in the back of the head. "And if Zoro gets to invite his boyfriend, then I get to invite Kaya. Luffy, you're paying for her, too."

"Okay!" Luffy agrees easily. "The more, the merrier!"

"What an idiot," Nami scoffs, but Luffy is too busy cheering with Usopp to listen.

Zoro snorts and finishes typing his message.

 _Are you at work?_

Sanji's response is quick.

 ** _Yeah, but just for an other hour. Why_** **?**

Zoro smirks. _Luffy wants to go to that new place in Evanston. He's paying. Interested?_

 ** _Hell yeah. What time?_**

Zoro frowns. It's still early and he has nothing to do until six. If Sanji is getting off in an hour, then he can probably squeeze in a few hours with his boyfriend before they head down to the restaurant.

Besides…Sanji is due for another lesson.

 _Come right after work. My place,_ he texts and grins when Sanji sends his confirmation.

"Is he coming?" Nami asks curiously.

"Yeah," Zoro grins, putting his phone is his pocket. He looks down at his cards, having completely forgotten that they were playing Uno before the restaurant conversation popped up. "Who's turn is it?"

"Yours," Usopp says, and Zoro's eyes narrow down on his single card. That's right, Usopp called Uno, and he's after Zoro.

He looks down at his full deck and grins, placing his card onto of the pile. "Draw Four."

"Nooooo!"

His curtains are drawn, casting his whole place into darkness, the only light coming from the television screen. The volume is low, sounds indiscernible, but still present.

Zoro tastes smoke and sweetness, and his fingers twitch as smooth skin trembles. He can hear heavy panting, punctuated by breathy sighs and quivering moans. He moves his mouth lower, his tongue eager, and he sucks on the pale skin. He moves back to watch as the blood rises, coloring a deep red, staining the pale canvas.

"Zoro…turn that off."

Zoro looks up at Sanji, momentarily startled. His eyes look black, the ring of blue so thin it can hardly be seen. His lips are wet, his cheeks rosy, and his hair is disheveled and pushed back, both eyebrows in unobstructed view. Zoro's eyes move down, drawn to the love marks that pepper the long neck, trailing over the bruise on a pale shoulder, the indent of teeth still visible.

Even lower now, to a broad chest. Rosy, pert nipples, licked. Twitching muscles, lines of red where fingers raked too roughly. Zoro wants more. He wants it all.

"Zoro…the TV," Sanji repeats. His voice is still Zoro's favorite thing, rough and smooth at the same time, as delicious to hear as his food is to eat.

"What's wrong with it?" Zoro asks, unable to help himself from pressing his lips to ribs, grazing his teeth over the sharp bone.

"It's…embarrassing," Sanji tries to hiss, but it's hard for his voice to be anything but sweet right now. Zoro kisses the new bruise softly, apologetic.

"Ignore it."

Long fingers in his hair, pulling. It's meant to be angry, but it sends shocks of electricity down his spine. "Turn it _off_ ," Sanji orders, red-bitten lips jutted out adorably.

Zoro takes a moment to focus, distracted by the sharpness of Sanji's tone. He glances at the television, where the sex scene is barely about to get to its climax.

Ah, yes. He bought a porn movie through pay-per-view to watch with Sanji. He doesn't usually watch stuff like this, but he thought it would be…educational, to some degree. Porn is never realistic, but it gets the basics down, at least.

Of course, he didn't really expect for Sanji to get so aroused, nor did he expect to be allowed to kiss and touch the cook today.

It's been almost a week since Sanji decided to explore this side of the relationship, but he's still hesitant to take the plunge. Zoro doesn't mind; he's actually enjoying it.

There is something disturbingly satisfying about being the first man to see Sanji like this. Well, more like the first person. Sanji may not consider himself a virgin anymore, but Zoro knows there is more to sex than just sticking your dick inside a vagina. Sanji knows nothing about teasing, about fore-play, about getting to explore another's body and getting pleasure from places you never thought possible.

His body is untouched still, unexplored.

Zoro turns off the television, using the distraction to sit up and put some distance between him and Sanji. He almost lost control there for a minute. He needs patience; he needs to listen.

"Do you want to stop?" Zoro asks, looking down at the cook.

"No," Sanji says quickly, consciously stopping himself from surging up. His hair is stark against the black leather of Zoro's couch. His jeans are tented, his body marred red.

"People will see these," Zoro murmurs, running his fingers along the bruises on his neck.

"I know," Sanji says, and swallows. Zoro feels it under his fingertips, and his mouth dries.

"Then what do you want me to do?" Zoro asks, grinning when Sanji's cheeks flush darker. Words, touches, kisses…Sanji is sensitive to all of them.

"I'm not gonna tell you," Sanji says, flustered. "Don't kill the mood, Zoro."

"Hmm? What's so wrong about telling me?" Zoro asks, his grin sharper. "Say, 'I like it when you touch me there, Zoro'. Tell me if you want me to use my mouth or my hands. Do you want me to keep teasing these?" He uses his nails to graze down until he reaches perky nipples, rolling them between his fingers.

Sanji's body jerks, his voice breaking, but he doesn't stop Zoro. "You can do…whatever you want."

Zoro frowns, for a moment worried that Sanji is just following the mood. He doesn't want this unless Sanji does. It's no fun if Sanji isn't onboard. But he also has to trust that Sanji will stop him if he really doesn't want to do something. He needs to believe that Sanji knows where to set up boundaries. If he says Zoro can do whatever he wants, then that means he _wants_ it.

"I want to take you in my mouth," Zoro says roughly. Just the thought of it…it gets to him. Imagining the way Sanji will sound, the way his body will shake, the way he'll feel, hard and burning, filling his mouth…

Zoro may have had a slight oral fixation, and it's only gotten worse watching Sanji.

"Okay," Sanji whispers and nods as if to reassure both himself and Zoro.

"If it gets to be too much…stop me," Zoro says. His hands are trembling slightly, from nervousness or excitement, he's not too sure, but he still has no problems taking Sanji's belt off.

He can't believe he finally gets to do this. He takes a moment to massage the soft skin under his belly button, letting his fingers slip under the belt of his jeans. Sanji bruises so easily, Zoro has no doubt he'll end up with marks all over his thighs and stomach.

"Raise your hips," Zoro murmurs, pulling on Sanji's jeans when he moves. Sanji is still wearing his shoes, and Zoro really is too impatient to take the time to take them off, so he lets his jeans pool around his ankles.

"Hmm…I imagined you with boxers," Zoro murmurs. Sanji is wearing white boxer briefs, the flexible fabric wrapping snugly around his waist and thighs, straining over his erection. He's wet, the fabric damp where Sanji's head is leaking. Zoro can see the outline of his length, thick and long.

Zoro has always enjoyed giving oral to his partners, and he's quite good at it, too. It _has_ been a while since he last gave anyone a blowjob, though, but he's also aware that Sanji has probably never had one done to him. From what he has told him, Sanji didn't really have very fulfilling sexual encounters.

He also doubts that a doubting lesbian and a selfish cougar would be too keen to use their mouths on the blond.

He looks up at Sanji, but he's covering his eyes with his arm, his mouth closed tight, teeth grinding, his neck stretched taut.

"You can come whenever you want to," Zoro says, bringing his gaze down. "Don't hold back."

"Shut up," Sanji hisses. "Stop pissing me off."

So proud. Zoro smirks and leans down, blowing air softly at the damp stain. Sanji shivers and Zoro feels him tense up as he drags his tongue over the wet spot, tasting him. It's muted, but this is Sanji's essence.

If he goes all out here, Sanji will come in no time. That sounds fun, Zoro is eager to see his face in ecstasy, but Sanji will probably not like that. So instead of taking his time teasing and testing his limits, he brings the underwear down.

His mouth waters, and his needs becomes almost painful. Shit, he already knows how beautiful Sanji is. He has seen him practically naked, that first bathtub picture still burned into his memory.

But right now…hard and wet, head red and leaking, body shivering and trembling…Zoro really can't wait to take his fill.

Sanji lets out a sharp breath when Zoro licks from base to tip, letting his tongue go around the head before sweeping over the slit. It's not an overpowering taste, but Zoro still laps at it.

Sanji is so fucking hard, throbbing in Zoro's hand, heavy and burning. He wraps his lips around the mushroom head, careful of his teeth, and lets the tip of it slide against the roof of his mouth as he feeds it inside his mouth. Sanji's responding moan goes straight to his groin, and he wastes no time taking him in

He's a little out of practice, so he pulls off before it hits the back of his throat, but he just tries again. He feels Sanji's fingers twist in his hair, but he's not trying to guide Zoro, it feels more like he's grounding himself.

Zoro quickly finds a rhythm, his head bobbing between Sanji's curled legs, sucking hard just to hear the sounds Sanji makes. Shit, he just knows Sanji's going to be a screamer.

His jaw is cramping up, so he pulls off and quickly replaces the tightness of his mouth with his hand, the glide eased by Zoro's spit. He looks up at Sanji, but the cook is still covering his face, arms trembling, chest flushed.

"You've lasted longer than I'd thought," Zoro says, voice throaty.

"Idiot," Sanji whispers, voice shaky. "I'm…not so easy."

"Oh?" Zoro smirks, swiping his thumb over the slit. Sanji gasps, toes curling, but he doesn't come. "There's nothing wrong with an early release….as long as you can get hard again."

"Fuck…you," Sanji gasps, totally at the mercy of Zoro's hand.

Zoro chuckles and brings his head back down to suck at the base, his tongue massaging the skin even as he sucks hard. Sanji makes an aborted sound, his fingers pulling on Zoro's hair, but his hand is pushing him down, clearly wanting more, so Zoro sucks harder.

Damn, if he could leave a mark here…

He lets his hands wonder lower, tugging at Sanji's heavy sac, the tip of his fingers rubbing the smooth skin of his perineum, and returns the length into his mouth. He needs to finish this off, he wants Sanji to come in his mouth already.

"Zoro…fuck!" Sanji moans, the loudest he's been, and Zoro moves quicker. Shit, he's so close to coming himself, his cock rubbing against the soft fabric of his underwear, held back by the tight stretch of his jeans.

He needs Sanji to come. He fucking needs it.

"Zoro!" Sanji practically screams as Zoro moans around his length, but Zoro can't help himself…not when Sanji's foot is now rubbing against his throbbing erection.

Zoro pulls Sanji's out, his hand immediately taking over, breathing hard. "Fuck," he moans, closing his eyes. "Grind it harder, Sanji."

He can practically feel the heat on Sanji's cheeks, but the pressure on his cock is too much, the catalyst he needed to release. With his face so close to Sanji's cock, he can hear the obscene squelching sounds his hand makes as he works the length, he can feel the trembling of his stomach, he can hear the quiet moans and whimpers leaving Sanji's mouth.

Pressure, sensation, the innate need to make Sanji feel good…it's all too much. And Zoro gives in to it.

He comes first, bursting inside his pants, his hand moving on its own, unaware of the shout Sanji lets out or the hot stickiness in his hand as Sanji comes moments after him.

He can only hear his own, hard breathing. His gaze is blurry and everything else sounds muted. He can feel the sweaty skin of Sanji's stomach on his face, and slowly, everything else starts to come back.

The first concrete thing he feels are Sanji's fingers combing through his hair. The second thing is the viscous substance on his hand. He makes a face and wipes his hands on his jeans. His own pants are a mess and he really wants to take a shower, but Sanji underneath him feels too good.

He feels sated and warm, his muscles liquified and his bones putty.

"That was…amazing."

Zoro struggles to lift his eyes to look at Sanji, but his smile comes easily. "You look like your mind's just been blown."

Sanji's smile widens, his eyes starry and wide. "Well, something was."

Zoro snickers and presses a light kiss to the sweaty skin. "C'mon…we're gonna be late."

Sanji grumbles. "I'm all dirty."

"Let's take a shower," Zoro says, grinning. "Look, we _have_ to go. Otherwise, Luffy will just come here and drag us there himself."

Sanji sighs loudly, making a whole show out of rolling his eyes, but he still returns Zoro's grin. " _Fine_. I'm gonna have to borrow some of your clothes, though. There's no way I'm putting these on again."

"Sure," Zoro says easily. "Now come on, before he shows up and ruins the mood."

They shower together, though they don't do much inside the shower, mostly because they're running late. Finding what clothes to wear turns out to be a little more difficult, since once outside the shower, Sanji becomes more embarrassed about the multiple bruises covering his neck.

"They won't say a thing," Zoro repeats for the nth time, tucking his shirt in while Sanji is looking at himself through the mirror. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," Sanji sighs. "I didn't stop you. I just…nothing, you're right. It doesn't matter."

Zoro looks at Sanji curiously, well aware that it _does_ still bother him. Zoro feel a little bad, mostly because he can tell how uncomfortable the hickeys are making Sanji, but to be completely honest…he likes them. It's totally possessive and unfair, but Zoro really likes the fact that people will be able to see his mark on Sanji, that people will know Sanji allowed him to touch.

"Wear your collar up," Zoro suggest softly. "If you want, Nami can even cover them with makeup."

"It's fine," Sanji repeats, turning around to give Zoro a tentative smile. "It's okay, Zoro."

Zoro's still worried, but it's kind of hard to keep frowning when Sanji kisses him on the forehead, his finger smoothing out the lines of his shirt. He feels the tension leave his shoulders, and without thinking, presses his lips to Sanji's Adam's apple—exactly where the biggest hickey is.

"We're going to be late," Sanji whispers. "Let's go."

With Sanji driving, they arrive just in time. But as soon as Zoro sees the large, glittery sign, the wide windows, and the elaborate stage in the middle of the place, he wishes to be anywhere else but there.

"It's karaoke!" Sanji exclaims happily. Of course, he's one of _those_ people.

"Yay," Zoro says flatly, but Sanji ignores him and quickly drags him inside.

The others are already there, easy to find since they're the rowdiest group. Franky, Brook, and Chopper are cheering loudly at the girls belting out _The Boy is Mine_ off-key. Usopp is, of course, totally engrossed in conversation with Kaya, and to Zoro's great surprise, Nami and Robin are waiting in line to sing.

"Sanji!" Luffy screams, waving them over wildly. "Over here!"

"Sheesh, Luffy, shut up," Zoro growls, quickly rushing forward before his friend can make more of a scene.

"Zoro, Sanji, pick a song!" Luffy says as soon as they sit down, handing them twin slips of paper.

"I'm not singing shit," Zoro growls.

"Oh, c'mon, marimo," Sanji says, studying the paper. It's some sort of menu, listing all the songs available. "Have some fun."

"I came here to eat," Zoro grumbles.

"We're all doing it, man," Usopp pipes in. "And this isn't really like a restaurant…I mean, they have hot wings and sliders, so…just pick a song."

"What are you singing?" Sanji asks him curiously.

Zoro sees Usopp's eyes land on Sanji's neck, but to the long-nose's credit, he doesn't react at all. "We're doing a duet," he says, looking at Kaya adoringly.

"We're doing _Don't You Want Me?_ by the Human League," Kaya says, smiling at Sanji. She, too, keeps her gaze strictly to his face.

"This is stupid," Zoro mutters.

"Just pretend these are your students," Sanji snickers, giving him a mischievous smile. "Too bad they don't have _John Henry_."

"You don't play fair," Zoro accuses, but Sanji only laughs.

"Zoro can sing with me!" Chopper exclaims. "We can do a duet!"

Well, he's safest bet is probably with Chopper. The younger man probably picked a Disney song or something. "Fine, I'll sing with Chopper."

Usopp and Franky snicker, but both quickly shut up when Zoro glares at them.

"Can't I at least order a beer or something?" Zoro snaps, looking around for a waiter. Their table is filled with sliders, cheesy fries, hot wings, and chicken nuggets, but there's nothing to drink except what the others ordered.

Sanji elbows him on the side before he can call a waiter over, and instead simply raises his hand until one of the waiter sees him and steps over, smiling widely.

"Yes, sir?" he asks politely, wincing a little when one of Luffy's cheers gets too loud.

"Can we get a pitcher of beer?" Sanji says, equally politely.

"Make that two," Zoro grunts, wincing when Sanji steps on his foot under the table.

"Two, please."

The waiter's smile widens, eyes sparkling with humor. "Very well. I'll be right with you."

"What was that about?" Zoro snaps once the waiter leaves.

"It's rude to shout at them," Sanji retorts. "And it doesn't hurt to be polite. You know how hard it is to be a waiter?"

"Hey, shush, my girl is going up there!" Franky exclaims, wolf-whistling when Nami and Robin take the stage. "Go get 'em, baby!"

"They look lovely, as always," Sanji simpers and Zoro rolls his eyes. His gaze falls to Sanji's nape, bare since Zoro's shirt fits him too big, and his anger instantly vanishes. Damn, he really did get to blow Sanji. Not to mention kiss him, touch him…hear his voice in ecstacy.

He quickly shakes his head, driving the thoughts away before he can embarrass himself, and focuses on Nami and Robin on stage.

The large flatscreen behind them shows the title of the song, one Zoro hasn't heard in a really long time: _Man! I Feel Like a Woman._ That song was famous around the time Robin was a pre-teen, so Zoro only ever heard it when he came to over her place, before he moved in permanently.

So it's not that surprising to hear Robin start the song.

 _Let's go girls, come on  
I'm going out tonight, I'm feelin' alright  
Gonna let it all hang out  
Want to make some noise, really raise my voice  
Yeah, I want to scream and shout_

Just like Zoro's, Robin's voice is nothing special. It's pleasant to hear, and she knows how to carry a tune, but it's not like she would make it as a singer.

What helps Robin, and has everyone cheering as crazy, is the fact that she's…well, sexy. It feels so gross to think about her like that—she's his _cousin_ —but even Zoro has to admit that if there was no blood between them, he would find her attractive. Sexually.

Nami comes in with the second verse, her voice much stronger and melodious. Now _Nami_ is someone who could've made it as a professional singer, if she were interested. It's surprisingly, considering how much times she spends yelling and screaming—Zoro had almost forgotten how nice her voice can sound.

 _No inhibitions, make no conditions  
Get a little outta line  
I ain't gonna act politically correct  
I only want to have a good time_

 _The best thing about being a woman  
Is the prerogative to have a little fun and_

Nami continues singing, but Robin joins her in the chorus, their voices mixing nicely. They're clearly the best singers that have gone up there tonight, if the public's reactions are any indication.

 _Oh, oh, oh, go totally crazy, forget I'm a lady  
Men's shirts, short skirts  
Oh, oh, oh, really go wild yeah, doin' it in style  
Oh, oh, oh, get in the action, feel the attraction  
Color my hair, do what I dare  
Oh, oh, oh, I want to be free yeah, to feel the way I feel  
Man! I feel like a woman!_

Zoro is distracted by the arrival of their beer. Sanji thanks the waiter again, then fills a large cup for Zoro.

"They're pretty good," Sanji murmurs, popping a fry in his mouth.

"You should wait to hear Brook," Zoro smirks. "He's in a band."

"He is?" Sanji asks curiously, glancing at the tall man.

"You might've heard of it…it's called Thriller Bark or something."

"Holy shit!" Sanji hisses, doing a double-take. "Brook is in _Thriller Bark_? The _band_ Thriller Bark? As in double-platinum record—."

"Yes, Sanji," Zoro interrupts, laughing. "He's the lead singer…Soul King, I believe."

"Holy shit!" Sanji exclaims again, his fingers digging painfully into Zoro's arms. "Why the fuck didn't you tell me before? They're one of my favorite bands!"

"And you didn't recognize their lead singer?"

"He always wears that creepy skeleton mask!"

"Yeah, he likes his privacy," Zoro shrugs.

"I can't believe I shook his hand," Sanji whispers, looking down at his palm.

"He's just a regular guy," Zoro shrugs. "Well, he's a huge pervert, but yeah…I didn't mention it because it didn't seem that big a deal to me. I've known him forever."

"He's still amazing," Sanji says firmly, his eyes like stars. "Do you know their last album, _New World_ , is about to go _diamond_? That's like ten million copies sold! And it just came out like a week ago!"

"Huh…" Zoro frowns, glancing at Brook. He knows his friend is pretty famous, though honestly, he doesn't listen to his music much. It never really caught his attention, and besides, whenever he thinks of Brook, he thinks of Nami punching him in the face because he asked to see her panties again. "Oi, Brook!" he calls over, ignoring the way Sanji jumps in his seat. Brook looks over, his face red and his nose slightly bleeding. Total pervert. "Congratulations on the new album. Sanji's a big fan."

"Yohohoho! That's right!" Brook exclaims, grinning broadly. "Our first diamond record! We're really excited."

"You think you can give Sanji a signed copy?" Zoro asks, ignoring the way Sanji's nails dig into his arm.

"Sure thing!" Brook says happily. "It's so great to hear you like my music, Sanji! Thank you!"

"Y-you're welcome," Sanji whispers, voice slightly awed.

Brook laughs again and turns to perve on Nami and Robin, who are finishing their song.

"Oh my god, thank you so much," Sanji whispers to Zoro, planting a quick kiss to his cheek. "You're the best boyfriend ever."

Zoro grins and catches Sanji's lips, enjoying the slight salty taste from the fries he was eating.

Next up are Kaya and Usopp, who sing a wonderful version of _Don't You Want Me?_ Usopp can't sing worth a damn, his voice pitchy and whiny, but Kaya is good enough to carry them both through it.

Another two groups go up there, before it's Luffy's turn. Franky and Brook join him and they sing _Everybody_ by the Backstreet Boys. Even though Franky and Luffy are not the best singers in the world, their energy is contagious, and soon the whole restaurant is belting out the well-known lyrics, some of them even dancing along to Franky's strange—and perverted—moves.

And then, it's Chopper and Zoro's turn.

He has no idea what song Chopper picked, so he's preparing himself to have to read all the lyrics from the twin TV's placed facing the stage. He's expecting to hear something from the Lion King—Chopper's favorite movie—so he almost chokes on his spit when he hears the beginning notes for Nelly's _Hot in Herre_.

"Chopper, what the fuck?" Zoro exclaims, ignoring Nami and Sanji's loud and obnoxious laughter.

"I got the first part!" Chopper says happily, nodding to the beat as he prepares to sing the first verse.

 _Hot in, so hot in here! So hot in, hot, oh!  
With a little bit of, uh uh, and a little bit of, uh uh  
Just a little bit of, just a little bit of,  
Just a little bit of, just a little bit of_

Zoro watches with wide eyes as Chopper transforms right before his eyes. Instead of the sweet, naive teenager Zoro is so used to seeing, Chopper suddenly looks like any other nineteen year old, rowdy teenager who's only care in the world is women and partying. Zoro suddenly notices that not only is Chopper almost as tall as him, he's also gotten a lot bigger—soon enough, he might almost have as much muscle as Zoro. And considering the fact that Zoro is done growing any taller, Chopper might soon be taller than him.

Shit, when did he grow up?

 _I was like, good gracious, ass is bodacious  
Flirtatious, trying to show faces  
I'm waiting for the right time to shoot my steez you know  
Waiting for the right time to flash them keys, then  
I'm leaving, please believing, oh!  
Me and the rest of my heathens  
Check it, got it locked at the top of the Fo' Seasons  
Penthouse, roof top, birds I feeding  
No deceiving, nothing up my sleeve and  
No teasing I need you to  
Get up up on the dance floor  
Give that man what he asking for  
'Cause I feel like busting loose  
And I feel like touching you, uh uh  
And can't nobody stop the juice  
So baby tell me what's the use? I said_

Chopper points to Zoro, nodding excitedly, and he brings the microphone to his mouth to start on the next chorus, Chopper helping him out with the girl's part.

 _It's getting hot in here, so hot, so take off all your clothes  
(I am, getting so hot, I wanna take my clothes off)  
It's getting hot in here, so hot, so take off all your clothes  
(I am, getting so hot, I wanna take my clothes off)_

Zoro laughs loudly at Chopper's little gangster wannabe dance. He can hear Luffy and the others cheering loudly, can hear Sanji's catcalls.

"Go on, Zoro!" Chopper exclaims, and Zoro thinks, _fuck it._

He looks at the screen, quickly reading the upcoming lyrics, and begins singing loudly to the fast-paced song.

 _Uh, uh, uh, let it hang all out!_

 _Why you at the bar if you ain't popping the bottles? c'mon  
What good is all the fame if you ain't fucking the models  
I see you driving, sports cars, ain't hitting the throttle  
And I'll be down to do a hundred, top down and goggles  
Get off the freeway, exit 106 and "Park"ed it  
Ash tray, flip gate, time to spark it  
Gucci collar for dollar, got out and walked it  
I spit game cause baby I can't talk it  
Warm, sweating, it's hot up in this joint  
Vokal tank top, on at this point  
You with a winner so baby you can't lose  
I got secrets can't leave Cancun  
So take it off like your home alone  
You know dance in front your mirror while you're on the phone  
Checking your reflection and telling your best friend  
Like "Girl I think my butt getting big!"_

He and Chopper are dancing wildly, Chopper doing mostly hip-thrusting while Zoro tries not to burst out in laughter. Nami and Robin are chanting 'take it off', and there's a group of drunk women sitting near the stage that are throwing napkins at them and pretending they're dollar bills.

Zoro didn't expect to have so much fun, and maybe it's the couple of beers he downed before he got on the stage, or maybe it's Chopper's enthusiasm, but somehow he finds himself really getting into the music. He's a pretty good dancer, and he has a pretty nice body, so when Nami and Robin shout 'take it off' again, he obeys them and pulls off his shirt.

The girls cheer loudly, especially when Chopper and Zoro both turn it up so that it seems more like a striptease than a karaoke. Chopper even joins the table of cheering women, dancing in one girl's lap, though Zoro still has enough sense of mind to keep his limbs to himself.

When the song is over and there's a new stranger on stage, Chopper and Zoro return to their table, breathing hard and sweaty.

"Damn, Chopper!" Franky laughs, wiping the lipstick off Chopper's cheek. "Where were you hiding that?"

"I like that song!" Chopper exclaims happily, sounding so innocent and adorable that they all burst into laughter.

"I gotta say…Chopper was sexier than you, Zoro," Nami says, faking sadness. "And those are words I never thought I'd hear myself say."

"Gotta give you props, Chopper," Zoro says, laughing.

"Hey, you can't blame Zoro," Brook pipes in, smirk in place. "After all, he can't very well be dancing on women's laps with Sanji here."

"Or without me here," Sanji adds, glaring at Zoro. "You did good, staying on that stage."

"You were too far away for me to give _you_ a show," Zoro says, enjoying the way Sanji blushes.

"Ha! As if you can call that a show," Sanji snorts, though Zoro can tell by the lingering redness that Sanji _did_ enjoy it.

"Well, you're up next," Robin reminds him. "Why don't you give Zoro a little lesson?"

"Yeah, why don't you?" Zoro challenges.

"Fine!" Sanji retorts, getting fired up. "I'll show you, marimo."

Zoro smirks, satisfied as Sanji gets up and gets in line at the stage. The guy singing _Brown Sugar_ is just about done, though he clearly isn't as good as Chopper and Zoro were before him.

"Oi, Zoro…" Nami says, getting his attention. "If you were that hungry, you could've always made yourself a sandwich," she says, and Usopp and Franky snicker.

"What?" he snaps.

"Yeah, Zoro," Usopp adds between laughter. "Are you a vampire now?"

"Shut up," he growls.

"There's nothing wrong with a little bit of rough play," Robin says in that creepy, toneless voice of her. "As long as you were both willing. There are far worse things you could do, cousin."

"Shut up!" Zoro says again, louder. "Shit, I don't wanna hear that from you, Robin! Now I can't help but think you're doing that with _Franky_. Ugh, gross!"

"Hey man…it's all good," Franky says, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Don't do that," Robin says firmly.

"Look, I just got a little excited," Zoro mutters, knowing his friends won't let it go until he gives them _something_. Damn bastards, he doesn't even know why he even talks to them. Oh yeah…they're his family. Damn. "Sanji's finally getting comfortable with the thought of…you know…so we're easing into it."

"So he finally agreed to have sex with you?" Nami asks, looking too curious for Zoro's taste.

"You're making it sound like I've been begging him or something," Zoro grumbles, glaring at her. "But…yeah, kind of. We still haven't done much."

"Wow, Zoro. It's almost been five months," Usopp reminds him. "This is your longest relationship since Maya. Your _only_ relationship."

"I know," Zoro sighs. "Man, I really like him—so don't you fucktards ruin this for me, got that?"

"Hey, what did we do?" Usopp exclaims, seemingly insulted.

"I don't know. Just being yourself can ruin things," Zoro snaps. "Robin, he's too much of a gentleman to say you sometimes creep him the hell out. Luffy, stop going to his restaurant for free food. Usopp, Sanji's terrified of bugs, stop trying to get him to see your damn collection. Brook, I wasn't kidding about the CD, he really is a fan. And Franky…just…don't be weird."

"Don't worry, Zoro!" Luffy says, beaming. "Sanji's our friend! Not matter what, he likes us!"

"Yeah, Zoro," Nami says, surprisingly serious. "He's part of the gang now. So don't _you_ mess this up."

Zoro frowns, taken aback. What does she even mean by that? He's not gonna mess things up, he knows better than that. He's about to ask her just what the hell she means when the _Brown Sugar_ singer finishes and the hostess introduces Sanji to the crowd.

"What is he singing?" Robin asks curiously.

"I have no idea," Zoro says, leaning back against the plush back of their booth. He meets Sanji's gaze across the stage as the rock music starts to play and he starts moving to the beat. And then, he starts singing.

 _We've been here too long tryin' to get along  
Pretendin' that you're oh, so shy  
I'm a natural man doin' all I can  
My temperature is runnin' high_

 _Cry at night no one in sight  
An' we got so much to share  
Talking's fine if you got the time  
But I ain't got the time to spare, yeah_

Sanji's voice is rough, typical of a heavy smoker. It's heavy and deeply masculine, rugged and oh so fucking sexy. It's not smooth and melodious like Nami's, and it's not a perfect baritone like Zoro's, but…it has _character_. The way he sings and moves to the beat is sensual and fun, cocky and provocative.

And then, Sanji brings it up a notch.

 _Do you wanna touch?  
Do you wanna touch?  
Do you wanna touch me there, where?_

 _Do you wanna touch?  
Do you wanna touch?  
Do you wanna touch me there, where, there, yeah?  
Yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah  
Yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah_

He moves to the beat of the song, running his hands down his chest, his manner flirtatious and mischievous. Zoro's collared shirt fits him two sizes too big, so the neck stretches down to reveal his bruised collarbones and pale chest, the pants—despite the belt—barely hanging from his sharp hips.

 _Every girl an' boy needs a little joy  
All you do is sit an' stare  
Beggin' on my knees baby, won't you please?  
Run your fingers through my hair_

 _My, my, my whiskey and rye  
Don't it make you feel so fine  
Right or wrong don't it turn you on  
Can't you see we're wastin' time, yeah?_

Sanji gets off the stage, still dancing as he approaches their table. Usopp whistles and Nami cheers as Sanji jumps on top of their table, Luffy quickly scrambling to move the food out of the way. Brook has joined in the singing, though his voice is mostly background to Sanji's amplified voice.

But all Zoro is interested in is the way Sanji runs his fingers through his hair, eyes sultry as they stare down at him, his voice calling to him. All Zoro wants to do is wrap his arms around those dancing hips, run his mouth down the exposed throat, touch those flexible legs as Sanji kneels in front of him, leaning his body back and rolling his hips against the air.

 _Do you wanna touch?  
Do you wanna touch?  
Do you wanna touch me there, where?_

 _Do you wanna touch?  
Do you wanna touch?  
Do you wanna touch me there, where, there, yeah?  
Yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah  
Yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah_

 _Do you wanna touch?  
Do you wanna touch me there?  
Do you wanna touch?  
Do you wanna touch me there, there, yeah?_

Sanji jumps to his feet again, agile, and turns his back on Zoro, giving his attention to the others. Nami and Robin look ecstatic to have Sanji's attention (Robin is only smiling, but c'mon, it's Robin. A smile is as good as it gets), and when he asks _do you wanna touch?_ , all while dancing close to them, touching himself as he sings, they both run their hands down his chest. Zoro bites his lip, keeping himself from pulling Sanji away from them, though it gets a little harder when Sanji points to Brook and Franky and sings with them, giving _them_ his attention.

It's like he's controlling the room, every eye fixed on him, captivating and tantalizing as he keeps asking _do you wanna touch_? And the answers will always be yes—yes, Zoro wants to touch him. He wants to taste him. He wants to have him underneath him again, hear his cries again, watch as he reaches pure bliss—he wants it all.

 _My, my, my do you wanna touch me there?  
Touch you, touch me touch, everybody  
You touch me, you know where, there  
Oh yeah, oh, yeah_

Sanji turns to him again for the last verse, that smirk on his face telling Zoro that Sanji knows exactly what he's doing to him. The damn bastard is perfectly aware of the effect he has on Zoro and he's milking it for all it's worth. His fingers are trailing over every love bite and kiss Zoro left, hiding underneath the white shirt—marks only Zoro knows are there, marks that Sanji is caressing as he tempts Zoro to touch him again.

And quite frankly, Zoro's control is unimaginable, but not limitless, and with Sanji offering himself so deliciously, it's really no surprise that Zoro breaks, dragging Sanji forward before he can finish singing the last verse to kiss him soundly, his hands gripping Sanji's head firmly, his fingers twisting in the silky blond hair.

He can hear cheering and laughter, but he hardly cares about the rest of the world when he has Sanji in his hands.

And when they draw apart for stupid, necessary air, Sanji only smirks and says "I win."

This man is going to kill him. And Zoro cannot care less.

* * *

 **A/N: Songs mentioned, in order of appearance, are:**

 **The Boy is Mine by Brandy & Monica**  
 **Man! I Feel Like a Woma by Shania Twain**  
 **Don't You Want Me? by The Human League**  
 **Everybody by the Backstreet boys**  
 **It's Hot In Herre by Nelly**  
 **Brown Sugar by the Rolling Stones**  
 **Do You Wanna Touch Me? by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts (though the glee version with Gwyneth Paltrow is good as well, and closely follows how Sanji was dancing)**


	8. Chapter 8

Sanji trails his fingers over the fading marks. Only the biggest ones remain, most of the other ones fading after a week or so. The one on his Adam's apple is the most stubborn one, still a fading yellow. Zeff gave him a lot of shit for that one, even though Sanji could easily hide it with his neckerchief.

He lifts his shirt and grins as he touches the dark love bites on his torso. Zoro really likes leaving them, and as long as they're not as obvious as the first ones, Sanji doesn't mind letting him do them. It feels good, after all.

Everything he and Zoro have done so far feels good. And every day, Sanji is getting more and more eager to go further. He's still a little nervous, but it's for a completely different reason than before. There's no hesitation, no lingering doubts, no fear.

Still, Zoro's patience and tenderness is too addicting for Sanji to let it go so easily, so he holds himself back. He will let Zoro mark the pace. It works best for both of them.

With that decided, he quickly covers his chest again, remembering that he offered to pick up Zoro from school today. And he's running late, shit. He quickly grabs his wallet and keys, and rushes out of his apartment.

This is one of the few days when Sanji and Zoro can meet up early, since for some reason, Zoro's school is letting out its students early. Sanji convinced one of the cooks to switch shifts with him, so he and Zoro are going to spent the afternoon together. They both have the weekend off, but it's barely Wednesday and neither wants to wait until the end of the week to see each other.

Sanji arrives in the middle of traffic, as the school's parking lot is filled with parents ready to pick up their children, but luckily Zoro is waiting for him outside the driveway. He looks more like he's lost than waiting on Sanji, if the way he startles when Sanji honks his car says anything.

"Hey, sweetheart. Care for a ride?" he asks, grinning at Zoro through his open window.

"I gotta ask my pimp," Zoro jokes. "Oh wait, that would be you."

Sanji scoffs. "I'd be the worst pimp ever; keep the goods all to myself."

"And that's why I chose you."

Sanji snorts and turns the radio volume low, waiting for Zoro to put on his seatbelt before he puts the car on drive.

"How was you day?" Sanji asks.

Zoro shrugs. "Like always. Jason and Malik got into a fight, though. I'll need to speak to their parents tomorrow. Ah, that reminds me…I got a huge favor to ask."

"Lay it on me."

"Career Day is coming up and while a lot of the parents have volunteered, I really want to show the kids jobs outside of the norm. I mean, they all want to be doctors and firefighters and that's awesome, but I want to show them something else," Zoro explains. "You think you could come and talk to them about being a chef?"

"Really?" Sanji hesitates. He's not very good with kids. He's gotten by so far because all the times he's visited zoro are during the kids' nap-times. He doesn't want to mess up and do something wrong; but he really doesn't want to say no and disappoint Zoro. "Um, sure."

"You don't have to do it if you don't want to," Zoro assures him.

"No! It's fine," Sanji quickly says. "When is it?"

"Next Friday. I'm going to dedicate the whole day to it, but you only have to come during your section; it won't take more than half an hour, at the most."

Sanji nods; that at least gives him enough time to plan something. Maybe he can bribe the kids by bringing over cupcakes or candy. His expertise lies with seafood, but he's a pretty damn good baker as well.

"So where are going?" Zoro asks curiously.

"Oh, um…to the gym," Sanji says. "I sort of have a class, and I was going to cancel it, but then I thought you could join me."

"Like, a kickboxing class or something?"

"Actually, it's yoga," Sanji admits. "I usually do it at home, but I'm no expert, so I try to take classes whenever they're teaching something I don't already know. They're, ah, they're doing couple's yoga today."

Sanji blushes and keeps his gaze resolutely on the road, even though he can feel Zoro's stare boring into him. The teacher doesn't make a comment, though, and simply changes the topic.

Sanji's gym is different from Zoro's. He doesn't go as often as Zoro does to his, but a couple of the instructors already know him by name. Keimi, the yoga instructor, is actually a good friend of his already.

"Sanji!" she exclaims, rushing forward to give him a tight hug; she's always been a very tactual person. "I was so excited to see your name in the sign up sheet. I haven't seen you in so long!"

"I know; it's been a hectic few months," Sanji says. "I managed to make some time for myself, and when I heard you were doing a couple's class, I decided to sign up. This is Zoro, by the way. My partner."

Keimi smiles widely at Zoro, hands on her hips as she studies the other man. "Wow, you're a hot one! Good job, Sanji!"

Sanji blushes deeply and Zoro laughs. He swings an arm around Sanji's shoulders and leans heavily into him. "Thanks. I keep telling him to be more grateful, but he just doesn't get it."

"Ha! You're the one who should be grateful!" Sanji snaps. "I'm a treat!"

"You're something alright."

Keimi giggles. "You guys definitely need to relax. Why don't you get set up while I greet the other students."

"Of course, Keimi-chan!"

Zoro snorts and rolls his eyes. "Is there any woman you don't drool over?"

"Not particularly," Sanji shrugs. "They are all amazing!"

Zoro makes a face and rolls his eyes. "Whatever. What are we supposed to be doing now?"

"I packed a change of clothes for you; you can get out of those jeans," Sanji says, looking at Zoro's attire.

Sanji clothes fit Zoro a little bit tight, but it's not like Sanji minds. Especially since yoga pants look sinfully amazing wrapped snugly around Zoro's thighs, ass, and crotch. They fit him a little short, since the bastard _is_ taller than Sanji, so they reveal the twin scars around his ankles. The shirt fits him normally, since it's one Sanji has stretched out, but it'll probably ride up when they begin their exercises.

Keimi finishes greeting the last arrivals and walks over to the front to start the class. She goes over the usual greetings, explaining the poses they're going to go through the class, then starts them with a simple single poses to loosen them up.

Sanji stares at Zoro as he bends over, and suddenly finds the need to thank whoever created yoga pants. Those things are a blessing.

Once Keimi gets the pace she needs, she starts them off in their couple poses. They start sitting back to back, sharing their breathing motions.

Sanji has always loved the peace and relaxation he finds during yoga, and this holds especially true when he has Zoro against his back, matching his breathing to Zoro's own deep and full breaths.

"Now, I want one of you to exhale and slowly bend forward. Your partner will lie across your back for a backbend," Keimi says in a deep, soothing voice, bending forward to allow her partner to bend on top of her. "This allows for a deeper bend for both partners."

" _Shit_ ," Sanji hears Zoro whispers as he leans forward deep enough to rest his forehead against the ground, forcing Zoro to backbend deeper. He snorts and leans back a little, taking pressure of Zoro's back.

Sanji is aware that Zoro isn't as flexible as himself, even though he's faring better than a couple of others in the class. This is a beginner's class, so Sanji is pretty sure most of the man here came because their girlfriends dragged them along.

When they move to the buddy boat pose, he sees a couple of them wince in pain. The pose requires the partners to press the sole of their feet against each other, then extends their legs upward, bringing their knees close to their chests. It's not a hard position, but it does stretch out the hamstrings pretty well.

Zoro only winces slightly, and while Sanji can feel his legs shaking a little, the other man doesn't complain.

"Remember…don't force yourself if you cannot complete a step," Keimi pipes in. "Pain does not equal success in this room."

"You're good, Zoro?" Sanji questions quietly.

Zoro glares at him, then winces when a particular stretch is too deep. "I'm good," he grunts.

Sanji rolls his eyes but lets up a little, vowing to work on Zoro's flexibility.

Keimi keeps the poses simple, and for the few ones that require a base and a flier, Sanji takes the latter position. Zoro has amazing core strength, so as long as he's not flexing, he's golden. Still, by the time the class ends, Zoro is sweating through his clothes and breathing shallowly.

"C'mon, big guy; let's get you some water," Sanji says.

Zoro glares at him and wipes his forehead with his forearm. "Shit, I didn't think this would be so fucking hard. How do you _do_ this?"

"Practice." Sanji grins and helps Zoro to his feet, providing a steady shoulder for his boyfriend to lean on. "Lots of practice."

"Shit…I don't even wanna go to Luffy's party tonight."

"Oh no, buddy; we're going," Sanji quickly says. "We already promised. Besides, just drink some water and rest up a bit, and you'll be good."

"Shit, I'm dying!"

"Dude, this isn't even as bad as ballet."

"You take _ballet classes_?"

He _did_ , a couple of years back. But he traded them for Capoeira. Those classes were hell, especially on his feet. He does not take the profession lightly _at all_.

It takes a couple more minutes of Zoro's whining before the man feels good enough to take a quick shower in the lockers and change back into his regular clothes. Sanji spends the whole time talking himself out of joining Zoro in the public shower, then takes a really fucking cold shower to drive away the memories of Zoro in yoga pants.

After that, Zoro doesn't want to go out to eat like they'd originally planned, so Sanji gives in and drives him back home to prepare something in Zoro's kitchen.

"Are you whining because it hurts or because you just want to annoy me?" Sanji asks as Zoro bemoans his fate in the living room. Zoro's fridge isn't as well-stocked as he would've liked, but he still has enough ingredients for some tasty chicken parmesan.

"I want you to come here and kiss it better."

"Ah, so it's the old pervy technique. Kiss it yourself, I'm cooking."

Zoro sighs loudly and twists in the sofa to look at Sanji. "Do we _really_ need to go to Luffy's party?"

"Of course we do. Nami asked us to go, so we're going," Sanji snaps. "C'mon, lunch is ready."

Zoro gives another dramatic sigh and joins Sanji in the kitchen, quickly trying to pretend like the smell of food isn't getting him hungry. "So if Nami asked you to jump off a cliff, would you do it?"

"Are you a kid? My sweet Nami would have a good reason to ask me something like that, so sure I would."

"You're an idiot."

"Isn't she your best friend?"

"Yeah, but she's still a money-hoarding witch," Zoro shrugs.

"And you're just acting spoiled," Sanji retorts.

"That's because I don't see the reason why we should go get drunk while we could stay here. _Together_. You know, drinking wine, watching one of those romantic movies that you like…"

"And then making out, probably getting down and dirty," Sanji finishes. "You're just horny."

"So what? I have a hot boyfriend, I think I'm entitled to be a little horny," Zoro snaps.

Sanji grins and lifts his wine glass, looking across at Zoro over the rim. "You know, just because we're going to the party doesn't mean we're _staying_ there. And the night is pretty long."

Zoro brightens up considerably at that, and Sanji laughs quietly. Sometimes, Zoro reminds him of a little kid. Yeah, the guy comes off as cool and mysterious, super badass and shit, but he can act just like a spoiled brat when he wants too. Sanji actually finds it a little bit endearing, if only because he knows Zoro only acts that way because he feels comfortable in Sanji's presence. The teacher would never think of acting like this in front of anyone else, and Sanji is glad that Zoro sees him as someone to trust.

He knows Zoro is lying about how sore he is when the man offers to help him wash dishes, but instead turns on his radio and snuggles up to Sanji, swinging his hips to the beat of Frank Sinatra's _It Had To Be You_.

"What's with you?" Sanji snickers, shrugging his shoulders when Zoro tickles his neck with his breath.

" _It had to be you~,"_ Zoro sings, ignoring him. He reaches forward to turn off the faucet and turns Sanji to face him. Sanji laughs in embarrassment, but he places a hand on Zoro's shoulder and another one in his hand.

He hides his face in Zoro's shoulder, feeling the burn of his blush as Zoro leads him around the kitchen. Zoro is a surprisingly good dancer, twirling Sanji around with ease and grace, his grip strong where he holds his waist.

"You're really light," Zoro whispers. "I could pick you up with one hand."

"That's because you're a brute," Sanji replies, smirking when he slides away from Zoro's grip, turning around to join him once again, this time chest to chest, hands joined at the center. "With a devilish handsome face."

"Hmm. _It had to be you, wonderful you_ …" Zoro murmurs, grabbing Sanji around the waist to dip him low as the song comes to a slow end. " _It had to be you."_

Sanji laughs loudly, dipping his head back. Zoro buries his face in Sanji's neck and Sanji can feel his chuckles against his tender skin.

"Okay, that's enough romance for the entire year," Zoro jokes, pulling Sanji upright. "Don't expect anything on Valentine's."

"Oh no, you don't get to do that," Sanji says. "I'm expecting this more often now. I think I should be more demanding."

" _More_?"

"Haha," Sanji snaps flatly. "Shut up. And help me finish the dishes. We don't want to be late for Luffy's party."

"You didn't forget about that, did you?"

"Nope."

"Shit. I think I need to be drunk."

Sanji rolls his eyes but doesn't stop Zoro from grabbing beer from his fridge. He practically chugs the first one, but takes his time for with the second one. He does mess with Sanji, grabbing the foam from the soap and blowing it at him, then grabs the little sink hose and sprays him with it.

Sanji ends up smacking him with a wet dish towel, leaving a huge red welt on his skin, so they decide to call it even. Zoro offers him another beer, but Sanji turns it down.

It seems that the flood of endorphins released during yoga, combined with the bottle of wine and the three chugged beers have made Zoro more drunk than usual.

"I'm not drunk," Zoro giggles, and almost trips on his own feet as Sanji leads him out. "I'm just happy."

"Hmm. Man, I feel like I should stop you, but then again, I need blackmail material and this is the only change I'll get."

"Yeah, I need another one of these," Zoro mutters, grabbing the last beer of his six pack. Sanji sits him down in the passenger sit and straps his seatbelt on, then walks around to the driver's seat. As soon as the car is on Zoro turns on the radio on blast and starts belting out lyrics to almost every popular song that comes out.

"Stop messing with the radio!" Sanji snaps, smacking Zoro's hand away from the volume knob. "You're gonna make me crash!"

" _She walk past, I press rewind to see that ass one more time!"_

Sanji smacks Zoro's hand away from his ass, rolling his eyes when Zoro snickers. He already drank his last beer, and Sanji knows by the slightly glazed look on his eyes that he's well in his way to being seriously drunk. He'll probably have to force-feed him crackers once they get to Luffy's house to get him to sober up a little bit.

Luffy's house is as crowded as usual, so Sanji has to part two streets away and drag Zoro with him to make sure no drunk dumbass messes with his vehicle. He stops to watch as an idiot in his underwear jumps from Luffy's second floor, only to land painfully on the grass amongst loud laughter. The guy takes a little while to get back up, but when he does he laughs it off and runs towards the backyard, screaming his head off.

"It's fucking seven p.m.," Sanji mutters. "Shit, you were right."

"Hey, that's Eustass' car!" Zoro cheers. "Let's go, curly brow!"

Zoro runs ahead, soon getting lost inside the house, and Sanji follows at a much slower pace. He immediately hates the humidity that stinks of sweat, sex, and alcohol inside the house, and winces when the loud music hurts his ears.

Zoro was totally right; he needs to be drunk for this.

He finds Chopper and Usopp in the kitchen. They're both drinking from tall, fruity looking drinks while snickering as they watch some video in Chopper's tablet. Sanji grabs a red cup from the stack of them on the counter and pours himself some beer from a keg. There's boxed wined, but he's a classy man, so he'll never drink that shit.

"What are you guys watching?" Sanji asks curiously.

"Someone took a video of Zoro and Chopper singing karaoke and posted it on YouTube," Usopp says excitedly.

"You're fucking kidding me. Let me see!" Sanji rushes forward and Chopper moves aside to give him a good view of the screen. It fucking has a hundred thousand views, and it has only been up for about a week. "Shit, if Zoro founds out about this, he's going to be fucking pissed," he giggles. "What about the comments?"

"Oh you know…they start off talking about how good the song is then somehow end up insulting each other," Usopp shrugs, dragging the screen down to view the comments.

"It has five _thousand_ comments? Already?"

"People seem to agree this is the funniest shit they've ever seen," Usopp shrugs.

"But we weren't trying to be funny," Chopper frowns. "I wanted to be sexy."

Sanji snorts and almost chokes on his drink and Usopp just shakes his head. "Sorry, Chopper, but I don't think that's possible. Just try aiming for cute," Usopp tells the disappointed boy. "Maybe once you're older."

Chopper sighs, looking impossibly upset, and shrugs. "I guess so."

"Where's Zoro, by the way?" Usopp asks.

"He said he wanted to look for Eustass," Sanji shrugs. "That remains me…where does Luffy keep his crackers?"

"Where doesn't he? Just check the cupboard."

So apparently, Luffy hoards food. Sanji is slightly horrified as he stares into the messy, disorganized kitchen, before he shrugs off all concerns and simply grabs the crackers. He'll talk with the younger man later about properly checking expiration dates before he dies of food poisoning.

It takes him a while, but he finds Zoro in the second floor, laughing loudly with Luffy while the dark-haired guy next to him looks at the ground as if he rather be anywhere else.

"Sanji! Hey, come over here!" Zoro shouts, waving him over. "Come say hello to Trao!"

"My name is Law," the dark-haired man growls. He looks up at Sanji as if begging him to get him far away from he two drunk friends.

"Nice to meet you," Sanji says politely, then turns a glare towards Zoro. "Here, eat this."

"Awe, babe…thanks." Zoro stuffs his mouth with crackers, leaning out of reach of Luffy's grabby fingers.

"Zoro! It's my food!" Luffy whines. "Give me!"

"No! Sanji brought them for me!" Zoro shouts.

Law slowly gets up, moving like a prey around predators, and as soon as it's clear Zoro and Luffy aren't paying attention to him anymore, bolts out of there.

"Weren't you looking for Eustass?" Sanji asks Zoro, crossing his arms in front of him.

Zoro pauses in the process of kicking Luffy away from him, getting a faraway look on his face. "Shit…yeah," he whispers. "Eustass."

"Ooh, I saw him near the pool!" Luffy exclaims. "I'll tell you where he is if you give me food!"

"Where is he?" Zoro asks hurriedly, handing Luffy the crumbly packet of crackers.

"He just told…never mind," Sanji sighs.

"He's in the pool!"

"Thanks, Luffy!"

"Babe, Sanji…babe. I'm gonna…gonna go to the pool," Zoro tells him, his gaze still slightly unfocused. "You stay here and make sure Luffy doesn't eat my shit."

"Wait, Zoro—!" Zoro leaves before Sanji can stop him, and he sighs then looks at Luffy, who's way too happy eating the stale crackers. "I'm not doing this," Sanji mutters and walks away.

He goes down to the pool, but neither Kid nor Zoro are downstairs, but he does find Ace. His friend is skinny dipping with a couple of girls, and is mostly the latter that manages to convince Sanji to stay by the pool side instead of going looking for his drunk boyfriend.

Hey, just because he's taken doesn't mean he can't _look_. He loses track of time, but when the large crowd starts dissipating, he decides to go looking for Zoro again. He wanted to come to the party because he promised Sanji, but he did agree on spending the night with Zoro, and he doesn't want the night to be ruined because Zoro is too drunk to have any fun.

It must be getting pretty late because the inside of the house is almost as empty as the outside. The music is softer now, and there are even a couple of strangers that have fallen asleep either on the sofas or on the floor.

Sanji steps over a couple of asleep bodies, and moves to search for Zoro upstairs. He's checking over Luffy's empty rooms, when he opens a door and finds Kid and Law inside one of Luffy's bathroom.

Sanji startles, instantly noticing the tense atmosphere and the hard grip Kid has on Law's shoulder.

"Hey…! It's the hot blond!" Kid exclaims nastily. "Have you already met him, Trafalgar? This is the new guy Roronoa is fucking."

Sanji rolls his eyes and resolutely ignores the redhead. "Have you seen Zoro around?" he asks Law, trying to see if the man is being harassed by the large redhead. Even if he _is_ a friend of Zoro's, Sanji will kick his fucking ass.

"I've seen him," Kid cut in. "He was talking with that idiot straw hat in the kitchen. Hey, you think they're fucking? Roronoa does have pretty fucking weird tastes. I mean, he fucked you," Eustass spits, glaring at Law.

Sanji freezes, his eyes snapping to Law. The man is glaring quietly at Kid, his mouth set into an ugly scowl.

"What the fuck is your problem?" he hisses. "Stop fucking bothering me."

"Hey, hey, stop that," Kid snarls, grabbing Law's other hand painfully. "What's wrong? Didn't we have fun? Or did I already hit my expiration date? I know you're the type to fuck and run, but I've learned a few new tricks."

"Fuck you," Law growls, snatching his hand away from the redhead. "You're fucking drunk." He pushes past the larger man and Sanji steps back to let him through. "Sorry, I haven't seen Roronoa at all," he tells Sanji quietly before he walks away.

"Hey, blondie…come over here," Kid says, stumbling closer. He's clearly drunk, his eyes are blood shot and he stinks worse than a brewery. "You still fucking Roronoa?"

"You're drunk," Sanji says distastefully. "You should really head home."

"You wanna come with me?" Kid leers. "Look, babe…I see the appeal with Roronoa, but…once he's had his fill, he'll drop you. He did that to Law, he did that to Killer…you think you're any better? I'll show you a good time."

"Oh, go fuck yourself."

Sanji slams the door close and walks away. He isn't bothered by Kid's words at all, though he's a little unnerved by the fact that Zoro and Law were a thing. But it didn't really look like there were any untold feelings between the two, so it's not like he has to worry about anything.

Kid is just a fucking asshole.

He finds Zoro downstairs in the kitchen, sitting with most of his friends. The house is almost completely empty by now, though there are still a few hard partiers still going at it, but it's much calmer by now. Zoro is munching on crackers, staring blankly at the table in front of him. Ace and Franky are also eating, while Nami and Usopp are laughing at something in Chopper's tablet. Chopper and Robin are talking quietly with each other, the younger boy giggling ever so often.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Sanji asks, moving close to Zoro.

His boyfriend startles, then shrugs. "My mouth tastes like shit," he mutters. "I think I'm dying."

"No, you're just crashing," Sanji laughs. "The endorphins are leaving your body. I seriously did not think drinking after a workout would get you drunk."

"It doesn't, usually," Zoro groans. "But that was a fucking hard workout."

"Yo! Roronoa!"

Sanji grimaces and turns around to glare at Kid.

"Hey, Eustass," Zoro says, slightly grinning at his friend. "What's up?"

" _Dude_ …you're killing me," Kid groans, pushing past Sanji to lean against Zoro. "Man, you gotta stop stealing all the hot ones."

Zoro frowns, smile fading a little. "What's that?"

"I don't know if your dick is made out of fucking gold—fuck, maybe you cum molly or some shit like that—but I can't fucking get my dick wet anymore! I mean, even this bitch over here is acting all uppity!" Kid snarls, motioning wildly towards Sanji.

"Hey, dude, be careful," Zoro says quietly. "I know you're drunk, but that's my boyfriend."

Kid laughs loudly and pats Zoro in the back heavily. "It's because you give them these titles that they think they're all that. Hey, you fucking Trafalgar again? Cause no matter how hard I try, he won't let me fuck him."

"I think maybe I should call you a cab," Nami suddenly pipes in, but her suggestion is drowned by Zoro's voice.

"Nah, Law just got tired of your bullshit," Zoro says, shrugging. He doesn't look particularly upset, even though the others have all gone suspiciously quiet. "One night stands don't cut it for everyone."

Kid laughs obnoxiously loud. "Oi, look at you, talking all zen and shit. Is this how he got you to spread your legs?" he asks Sanji, advancing on him. "Did he give you a promise ring or something?"

Zoro stands up, still calm, and places a steady hand on Kid's shoulder. "Let's get you home, Eustass. You're being—."

"Yeah, I'm an asshole!" Kid suddenly yells, turning on Zoro. "And you are, too! Why the fuck are you pretending? I've seen you go through more bitches than Hefner. And what's fucking wrong with that!? That's what they're _for,_ Zoro! They spread their legs and beg to be fucked hard and this blond bitch isn't any differ—."

Sanji opens his mouth, ready to beat the living shit out of Kid, but before he can even utter a single sound, Zoro punches Kid so hard, he falls flat on his back. Sanji stumbles, back, shocked to see Zoro straddle Kid to continue punching the hell out of him, his face set into the most murderous expression Sanji has seen in his life.

Kid manages to block one punch and swings one that grazes Zoro's jaw. Franky and Usopp scramble forward to hold Zoro back, Ace rushing to help Kid back to his feet.

"What the fuck is your problem?" Kid yells, his voice thick and his nose bleeding freely. "This won't be the first time I take your sloppy seconds!"

Zoro snarls—a guttural, animalistic sound that sends shivers down Sanji's spine—and knocks Franky away, elbowing Usopp in the face in his rush to get back at Kid.

"Zoro—!" Ace exclaims, coming between the two, but Zoro doesn't stop and the punch intended for Kid hits Ace squarely in the face. Zoro hardly seems to care, immediately bringing his left hand up to deliver another punch aimed at Kid's stomach.

Kid huffs and bends over, and Zoro uses that to his advantage to wrap his arms around Kid and slam him agains the wall. Kid starts beating into Zoro's back, but he hardly seems to feel it as he continues to punch the shit out Kid.

"Zoro!" Nami screams. "Stop it!"

Her voice startles Sanji out of his shock and he rushes forward to rip away the green-haired man from the bloodied Kid.

"Hey, hey, stop," Sanji yells, pushing Zoro back as he tries to throw himself at Kid again.

"I'm gonna fucking kill you!" Zoro yells at the nearly unconscious man. "You hear me, motherfucker? I'm gonna fucking kill you!"

"That's enough!" Sanji shouts, and pushes Zoro out into the backyard through the kitchen's back door. He pushes Zoro away from the door and locks it behind him.

He takes a deep breath, then turns around to look at his boyfriend.

Zoro is breathing hard, that terribly frightening expression still on his face, and he's pacing on the grass quickly, his movements jarring.

Sanji doesn't say anything, trying to calm down his own breathing and make sense of what just happened.

Zoro suddenly stops, startling Sanji when he suddenly yells out of nowhere.

"Fucking damnit!" he shouts. "Fuck, I wanna fucking—."

Sanji lets him keep cursing to himself, waiting until he calms down enough to sit down on the grass to approach him. He sits next to him and stays quiet, knowing Zoro will speak when he's ready.

"I…punched Ace, didn't I?" Zoro murmurs, his voice much quieter.

"You did," Sanji says simply.

"And I hit Franky—shit, I hit _Usopp,"_ Zoro groans. "You know how long it fucking took for him to stop being afraid of me?"

"You were pretty pissed," Sanji says quietly.

Zoro doesn't say anything for a moment, and Sanji doesn't look at him. He hears Zoro shift, then a quiet sigh. "I know. I just…when he talked about you…I just fucking saw red."

Sanji finally looks at Zoro, taking in the slumped shoulders and saddened eyes. "It's okay."

"No," Zoro whispers. "I…I've never lost control like that."

"I'm okay," Sanji says and Zoro glances at him, surprised. "I don't care what he says about me, you know."

"I do," Zoro answers. "I…shit, I wouldn't have stopped on my own. I would've just continued to beat him until…thank you."

Sanji shrugs and lets his shoulder brush against Zoro's. "He _was_ being a huge asshole."

Zoro shakes his head and sighs. "He's hurting," he whispers. "He's in love with Law, but…he just won't fucking admit it."

Sanji blinks, surprised by the revelation. Suddenly, the scene in the bathroom makes a lot more sense. "Law loves him, too, doesn't he?"

Zoro nods. "Yeah. But he got tired of waiting for Kid to realize it, so he left."

"Did you sleep with Law?" Sanji asks curiously, but Zoro only snorts and shakes his head.

"Nah. That's just Eustass' jealousy acting up. Law's just a good friend. Like Usopp and Franky," he adds more quietly. "Fuck, I can't believe I hit them."

"I'm sure Usopp won't hold it against you. Neither will Ace or Franky."

"I can't go back in there," Zoro mutters. "If I see him…"

"I'l go," Sanji offers.

"No! Don't—stay here," Zoro says quickly, turning to wrap his arms around Sanji's waist. "Please." The last word is whispered, almost inaudible, but Zoro speaks it right into Sanji's ears. So he stays. He wraps his arms around Zoro's shoulders and presses his lips against his neck.

He feels terribly guilty, but some part of Sanji is giddy with happiness. He knows it's completely wrong, but he can't help but feel…honored…that Zoro would do that for him. He knows Zoro considered Kid an old friend, but he didn't even hesitate to deliver the first punch when Kid started insulting him.

It makes him feel especial. But it also makes him feel guilty.

He doesn't know how long they stay like that, but eventually the back door opens and Luffy comes out.

"Hey…Chopper wants to check out your wound," he tells Zoro quietly.

Zoro looks up at him, eyes wide, then lower his head and nods. Sanji stands up and helps him to his feet. Zoro doesn't let go of his hand, even when they sit down around the kitchen island.

Ace, Kid, and Usopp are missing, but everyone else is still in the small kitchen. All eyes turn to Zoro, but he avoids everyone's gazes.

"Law took Kid to the hospital," Nami speaks, her voice firm. Zoro winces, but Nami continues to speak. "Usopp and Ace went with them, since it looks like Usopp's nose is broken and Ace was bleeding pretty heavily out of his mouth."

"Nami," Sanji starts, but Zoro squeezes his hand and shake his head softly.

"Nami-sis, it's fine," Franky says, glaring at Nami. "Usopp isn't upset, Zoro-bro."

"I'm sorry," Zoro murmurs. "I shouldn't—I don't know what came over me."

"I would've done the same thing."

All eyes turn to Luffy.

"Luffy, you didn't see—," Nami starts, but Luffy raises a hand, stopping her.

"Zoro cares for Sanji very much, Nami," Luffy says. "And no one can stand idly by while their loved ones are insulted. If he had said anything like that about any of you…if I had been here while he said that about Sanji, my _nakama_ …I would have done the same. And you would have, too, if he were talking about your sister."

Nami opens his mouth, but then closes it.

"Yeah, I get it, too," Franky says. "Just thinking about someone talking about Robin like that…and Usopp gets it, too, Zoro. He has Kaya, remember?"

Zoro nods softly and Sanji runs his hand through the short, green strands. Zoro leans into his touch, and Sanji smiles softly.

"Sanji…I owe you an apology," Nami says suddenly, grabbing his attention.

"I'm sorry?"

"I'm really sorry," she says. "Because I…I thought of you as just another one of Zoro's conquests, too."

"You did what?" Zoro snarls, his eyes narrowing. Sanji rubs his back soothingly; he already knows about this, so he isn't as upset.

"I've known you for years, Zoro, and I've never seen you be serious about anyone in your life," Nami tells her best friend. "And when I met Sanji, I thought you were just playing him."

"How could you fucking think that?" Zoro exclaims, upset.

"I was _wrong_!" Nami shouts. "Okay? I'm sorry! I was _wrong."_

"Nami, it's okay," Sanji says honestly. "Really."

"No, it isn't," Nami says, shaking her head. "But thank you. You're really an amazing guy, and I totally see why Zoro fell for you. Sorry for doubting you, Zoro."

Zoro and Sanji both blush at her words, mostly at the implication that Zoro has fallen for Sanji. Zoro ducks his head and shrugs, keeping quiet, but he has yet to let go of Sanji's hand.

"Thank you, Nami," Sanji murmurs, for the both of them.

"Yes, yes. We're so happy now," Chopper says, annoyed. "But I still want to check Zoro's bruise! Do you feel any loose teeth? Any numbness? Open your mouth, let me see."

Zoro sighs loudly but obeys the young doctor, sharing a slightly exasperated look with Sanji.

Sanji simply smiles and keeps quiet, watching as Chopper checks over Zoro.

"Oh, that reminds me! I'll have to show you how to hide bruises with makeup, or your kids will start asking a million questions," Nami says, grinning evilly at Zoro.

"Fucking shit," Zoro groans. "I totally forgot about that!"

"Oh yes. And we also have to hope that Eustass doesn't decide to sue you, or we'll be visiting you in jail from now on," Robin adds with a predator-like grin.

Sanji laughs at Zoro's deer-in-headlights eyes, feeling a sudden urge of joy as the others quickly start poking fun at his boyfriend. There is no tension, no hard feelings, no grudges. It's like everyone is eager to let Zoro forget about the horrible fight.

And through it all, Sanji holds Zoro's hand tightly, and that makes him feel a lot more special.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Wow, it's been two months since I last updated this. Sorry about that! I hope this chapter makes up for it**

* * *

He's been dreading the day, but Robin has finally wore him down enough to convince him to visit Eustass at the hospital.

Eustass has a couple of broken ribs and had some mild internal bleeding, and Zoro always feels horrified when he remembers he was the one who did that. He beat the shit out of his friend, he lost his temper like he hasn't in years…and the thought that he did it for Sanji terrifies him.

It's not that he regrets it—he has very few regrets and none of them include the blond—but this is way out of his depth. He has never felt like this for anyone, has never felt this level of protectiveness and possessiveness for any of his past partners, not even for those he considered friends.

But just thinking about the disgusting things Eustass said about Sanji gets his blood boiling again, gets him ready to find the other man at the hospital and finish beating him into a pulp.

He knows he has to fix this. Eustass is his friend despite everything, and Robin has reminded him of the more technical issue of things: he can very well get sued by the other man, not to mention lose his job if his boss finds out he was in a fight. Nami has done a pretty good job of hiding his bruises with makeup, and they won't last long…but still.

So, when the weekend arrives, Zoro gets Sanji to drive him to the hospital, but convinces the chef to leave him there. He isn't ready to see Sanji and Eustass in the same room yet, just in case the redhead is pissed.

Chopper tells him Kid is getting ready to get released today, so he hurries to his room before the other man leaves. Chopper is his attending physician, so Zoro is a little surprised to see Law in the room when he opens the door.

The two of them glance at him, surprised, then Law clears his throat and straightens his scrub top.

"A nurse will bring you your belongings, Mr. Eustass. Excuse me."

Zoro steps aside to let Law through, meeting the man's gaze before the door closes behind him, leaving a tense silence inside the room.

"I know I let a shiner on your," Eustass says, voice quiet but a half-grin on his face.

"Makeup," Zoro shrugs. "Can't let the kids see that."

"I should've thought of that," Eustass muttered. "Coach benched me for two games."

Zoro offers what he hopes is a sympathetic grimace, but it falls a little flat. The silence stretches on for a few more minutes, but while Zoro has never been with good with words, he's also never left anything unsaid.

"Kid…about the party—."

"Wait," Eustass says first, raising a hand to stop him from blurting out something insensitive. "I know."

Zoro's gaze narrows. "Know what?"

"I owe you an apology," Eustass continue, his gaze hardened and unwavering. "I was drunk, but that's no excuse."

Zoro scoffs. "I don't think alcohol had anything to do with it."

Eustass winces and his gaze finally drops. "Yeah…I guess so," he mutters.

Zoro sighs and sits down at the edge of the bed, facing his friend. "You gotta fix things between you two," he says earnestly. He's never spoken his mind about Eustass' relationship with Law—mostly because it's none of his business—but he's tired of seeing the redhead beat himself up over the surgeon. The two of them are perfect for each other, if only Eustass would accept that.

"It's not that easy, Zoro," Eustass mutter. "Not all of us get to have what you have."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Zoro snaps and Eustass rolls his eyes.

"Why do you think I was so pissed off?" he asks flatly. "I always thought you and I were one and the same. Thought we were meant to be alone. Some people are just like that—but then I met this dude you're banging—."

"His name is Sanji," Zoro interrupts firmly and Eustass sighs.

"Sanji," he repeats. "I met Sanji, and…he's a cool guy. He's good, anyone can see that a mile away. And a real piece of work, apparently…just like him. But unlike me, you somehow manage to get the guy—you get to have someone who honestly cares about you, someone who's there for you, and trusts you…I don't have that."

Zoro stares at his friend, arms crossed and jaw set tight. Eustass hasn't met his gaze, won't do it at all, but Zoro can still tell how much is costing the other to speak of this. He's never considered himself particularly close to Eustass—not like Luffy or Nami—but he's still a friend. And so is Law.

"Sanji trusts me because I've given him reasons to trust me," Zoro says, keeping his voice cool. "He's there for me because I'm there for him. He cares about me honestly because I've never kept my feelings from him. He knows where he stands in my life. How do you expect Law to be the same when you keep him at arm's length?"

"It's not the same—."

"Like hell it isn't!" Zoro snaps, surprising the both of them. But he's not done—not by a long shot. "You'd sleep with him then turn around and sleep with someone else! You told him a thousand times that you didn't want a relationship, that it was just sex between the two of you! And when he does as you say and keep away, you try and drag him back down! You lie to him, you betray his trust, and you go behind his back—and then you accuse him of not caring when you don't give him any reason to care! Stop playing the victim just because Law refuses to let his happiness depend on you. Either talk to him or leave him the hell alone!"

Eustass is staring at him with mouth hanging open. Honestly, Zoro understands. He's a little surprised by the passion and conviction behind his little outburst, too. He's surprised to find out how much he actually cares about the subject, not only because both Law and Eustass are good people, but because he once felt just like Eustass.

And if things had gone down just a little differently between him and Sanji, if Zoro had not played his cards carefully, then his relationship with the blond would be just like this: broken.

"Geez, Zoro…tell me how you really feel," Eustass mutters.

"I'm not joking."

"I know you're not," Eustass says, this time more seriously. "Trust me. It's just…hard."

"Whoever told you love was easy fucking lied to you," Zoro snorts. "Not everyone you meet is going to stab you in the back, you know. But you can't expect someone to stay loyal through thick and thin if you don't extend the same courtesy."

"So you really are? In love, I mean," Eustass says and Zoro freezes.

"What?"

Eustass blinks. "You said…I mean, you went crazy back then."

"Well yeah, but…" But that doesn't mean he's in love. Right? He cares for Sanji—cares a fucking lot—but he wouldn't exactly call it love. It's not like he has a lot of experience with the feeling, but wouldn't he know it when he feels it?

And it's not like he has anything against the feeling—in fact, he expects to love Sanji. He wants to. He's working on that, but such a strong feeling isn't so easy to achieve. Love isn't just something that happens.

"Love isn't so much a feeling as it is a choice," Zoro finally answers quietly. "So maybe the feeling isn't quite there for me yet, but yeah…I'm choosing to fall in love with Sanji."

Eustass nods quietly, then smirks. "Tell me more, oh wise one."

Zoro rolls his eyes. "Shut up."

"Nah, I'm serious," Eustass says. "I want what you have. So maybe I'll take a page out of your book and talk to Law."

There's a knock on the door and the both of them look up at the nurse coming in. She smiles at them but doesn't speak, walking around the bed to place Eustass' belongings on the bedside table.

"Who's taking you home?" Zoro asks curiously.

"Killer's supposed to," Eustass says, glancing at the wall clock. "He's running late."

"Probably traffic. Speaking of which, I'm catching a ride back home with Chopper," Zoro says. "I'll see you around, Eustass."

"Yeah…and thanks."

Zoro grins and pats Eustass' shoulder before leaving.

This doesn't mean things between Eustass and Law are gonna get better. Zoro doesn't know much other than the fact that the two of them haven't really spoken to each other since college, but he hopes they at least manage to settle into level ground.

Even if nothing romantic happens between the two of them, they were once friends.

When Zoro was younger, he always pictured himself competing in Kendo Tournaments, making a name for himself in the world of swordsmanship. He isn't exactly sure how he went from aspiring swordsman to kindergarten teacher, but it's not a decision he regrets making.

He's always been good with kids, and he used to be an instructor for younger kids in his father's dojo back when he was in high school, so he knows how to handle them. Still, kids are unpredictable, and he can never relax around them, especially when they're so easily excitable.

All of them are looking forward to Career Day, and Zoro—along with the other teachers in the school—has been helping them decorate the classroom and hallways for their parents' arrival. Unlike previous years when parents only came to speak in their kid's classroom, this time the school is planning something bigger and having a more hands-on experience for the kids, allowing them not only to hear about new jobs, but actually participate in them.

It's way early for kids to be thinking about jobs, but Zoro and his fellow coworkers hope that this will make them reach for bigger goals and expand their expectations about what they can achieve.

Or at least, that was the general idea when Baby pitched the idea to Principal O'Hara. It somehow expanded from there and it turned into the school's biggest project, other than Zoro's Get Active Project.

"So we have Dr. Hendrickson in the Chemistry Lab, the fields will be set up tomorrow for the obstacle course, and the gym set up as a makeshift courtroom," Baby says thoughtfully, looking at her clipboard. "And we've also moved extra computers to the library."

It's after school hours and Zoro somehow finds himself dragged into helping Baby make sure everything is set up and ready for tomorrow.

"That's a doctor, a cop, a lawyer," Zoro says, counting off on his hands. "And I can't believe Mr. Kelly actually makes a living playing video games. He must be the luckiest man in the world."

Baby smirks. "Yeah. Also, John's dad is a private detective, so we're doing some sort of scavenger's hunt for that," she adds. "And Jeffrey's father is an actor, so he's doing some sketch in the theater room."

"He's an actor?" Zoro asks curiously.

"He does commercials, I guess," Baby shrugs.

"And we have the cafeteria set up for Sanji, right?"

"Yes, but we need two more volunteers for that," Baby says. "It's cool to let the kids help out making their own food for the day, but we can't expect Sanji to keep an eye on twenty excitable kids in the kitchen."

"I'll be there with him," Zoro reminds her.

"Remember the rules, Zoro. One adult per every five kids."

Zoro frowns thoughtfully. "I can ask some of my friends to help out. Is that fine?"

"As long as they're over twenty-one," Baby nods. "I need their names, though."

Definitely not Luffy. He trusts the man with his life, but never around food. But if he's talking responsible, then there's only two people he can count on. "Nico Robin and Nami Mikan."

"Alright. Just tell them to talk to me before the day starts to get an ID, and they're good to go," Baby says, jotting down their names. "Now, let's go through the schedule one more time. I want to make sure we have enough time to let the kids have fun in each section."

Zoro sighs and settles more comfortably into his chair, knowing it's going to be a long day.

The next day, Zoro is one of the first people to arrive at the kindergarten, second only to Baby. She's already working hard making sure everything is set up right—even though they already did that yesterday—and welcoming every volunteer. Not all parents were invited to speak about their careers, yet a lot of them volunteered to help out.

Nami and Robin will be arriving any time now, but Sanji still has a couple of hours until he has to show up, since his section is scheduled around midday, when the kids usually eat.

The cook has already sent him about a dozen nervous messages, double checking the time and date. Zoro knows that when he agreed, Sanji didn't expect this to be a huge deal, but then again, neither did Zoro. Baby sort of blindsided them all.

She's a force to be reckoned with.

"Oh my god, you look so adorable!"

Zoro looks up, startled to see Nami and Robin in his classroom. Both women are dressed in simple jeans and t-shirt, with their names written on a sticky name badge. Nami has her hair tied up in twin braids while Robin has a simple ponytail.

"What are you two doing here?"

"Baby said to wait here with you," Robin says, her gaze on his classroom. "And your students?"

"School doors don't open for another ten minutes," Zoro reminds them. "Don't touch anything," he chides Nami, who guilty moves her hands away from the macaroni art decorating his walls.

"I can't get over this," Nami says, grinning widely. "I mean, I've known you're a kindergarten teacher, but it's really setting in now. Remind me again why you've never invited us to your job before?"

"Because it's a job," Zoro snaps. "Do you invite me to yours?"

"Uh, like all the time," Nami scoffs. "Fashion blogger, remember?"

"Yeah, but I don't—have you been taking pictures of me and posting them on your blog?" Zoro asks, horrified.

"I told you that! Why do you think I give you fashion tips!?"

"Nami, take them off!"

"No way, Jose. They're huge hits."

"Nami—."

"Where's Sanji?" Robin cuts in, distracting him.

"He's not here yet," Zoro says, still glaring at the redhead. "He's gonna set up in the cafeteria, anyway. That reminds me, check out today's schedule."

"We already have a copy," Nami says, pulling out a folded piece of paper from her back pocket. "Seems like today's gonna be a busy day. Do we have to participate in the obstacle course?"

"Not unless you want to."

"Yeah, not in these heels."

Zoro rolls his eyes. "Well, we're not doing anything until after the morning's assignments, so you guys can grab a seat."

The only 'grown-up' chair in Zoro's classroom is his desk chair, so Nami and Robin have to sit in the bean bags he keeps at the back in the reading section. It would have been so amusing, if Robin somehow didn't look the picture of poise and Nami didn't look totally relaxed.

His students start to arrive a few minutes after the school's gates open. They're usually very lively and excitable—especially today—but a few of them quiet down when they see Nami and Robin at the back, staring at the two women with wide, surprised eyes.

Zoro usually doesn't bring people to class, so it's not surprising that the shyer of his students act more reserved. He, too, is feeling a little odd about doing his job in front of them. They just have such judging eyes…

Principal O'Hara gives the usual morning announcements after the last bell rings, and the prospect of their first school-wide Career Day is enough to distract his students from the girls.

"Alright, I know you guys are excited, but we're still gonna have rules today," Zoro says, grinning when his class groans in unison. "Hey, I'm just the messenger. Nami and Robin are gonna help me watch over you guys, so I need you all to listen to them. If you guys want to keep having fun days like today, you have to act right."

Compared to the other teachers, he has a very well-behaved class, so he doesn't expect to have any problems on their end. Zoro gets them to line up at the door in a single-file line, with Nami and Robin trailing at the very end to make sure none of them stray, then leads them to the theater, where they will act out some play Zoro's never heard of, with Mr. Kent, Jeffrey's father.

Because of the size of the school, not all classrooms are doing the same thing at the same time. So while Zoro is in the theater, Baby is in the Chemistry Lab, Kobato is out in the fields, and rest of the teachers are at the other stations.

Nami and Zoro stay back and watch while Mr. Kent has the children playing in the theater, putting up a small show with the help of Robin, who surprisingly seems very interested in the entire process. Zoro proudly watches as his students remake a small scene of Jack and the Beanstalk.

"Aw, isn't somebody adorable?" Nami gushes, pinching his cheek and effectively wiping the smile off his face. "You got the same look in your eyes you get whenever Chopper does something cute."

"I do not," Zoro denies grouchily.

"If you say so," Nami snickers.

After Mr. Kent, they go to the library to essentially just play videogames with Mr. Kelly, which turns into a not-so-friendly competition between Nami and Zoro that ends with Robin coming out of nowhere to steal first place.

"Robin!" Nami angrily exclaims, utter betrayal in her face. "How could you!?"

"All is fair in war and Mario Kart," Robin says wisely to Zoro's students, all of them watching her in awe.

"Don't teach my kids how to be cheaters," Zoro grumbles. "Remember kids: good friends don't blue shell friends at the last second. It's just rude."

After Mr. Kelly, Zoro takes his students out to the yard, where Officer Davis is waiting for them with a small speech and a game of Cops & Robbers.

The day goes by unnaturally fast for Zoro, but maybe that's because he's eager to see Sanji and spend time with him. He doesn't even care that Nami is looking at him wit a shit-eating-grin as they walk towards the cafeteria after an hour of playing outside with Officer Davis.

"Shut up," Zoro mutters to her.

"I didn't say anything," she says, still grinning and batting her eyelashes at him. "But I'm very glad I agreed to come here."

Zoro rolls his eyes and walks ahead to open the double doors leading towards the school's kitchen, his eyes immediately landing on Sanji.

The cook is dressed in his chef's whites, his hair tied into a small ponytail and his bangs clipped back, moving around the relatively small kitchen, cleaning up from the last class.

"Heya, Sanji!" Nami greets loudly, startling Zoro.

Sanji looks up, smiling widely. "Nami! Such a glorious sight for my poor eyes!"

Zoro rolls his eyes. "Hello to you, too."

Sanji grins at him, then very deliberately turns to Robin. "My beautiful Robin, how are you?"

Robin smiles. "I'm very well, thank you Mr. Chef."

Sanji turns towards Zoro's students. "Hey guys! Remember me?"

"You're Mr. Roronoa's boyfriend," Lisa says solemnly.

Sanji blushes and averts his gaze. "Right. My name's Sanji, what are yours?"

Lisa and the rest of his students introduce themselves. Zoro moves back to lean against one of the prep tables and watch Sanji interact with his students. He looks nervous as hell, looking up at Zoro every once in a while as if to make sure he's doing okay, and even though he talks to the kids normally—he doesn't talk slowly or babies them like other people Zoro has met—it's very clear that he's thinking about everything that comes out of his mouth before actually saying it.

But with the way Sanji curses, that's probably a good idea.

"Today you guys are gonna help me make lunch, and then we're gonna eat it," Sanji tells the kids. "We're gonna be making pizza, a nice fruit salad for dessert, and a lavender lemonade to drink. Who wants to help me with the lemonade?"

Sanji separates the students into three groups and gives them each a task. He has Nami help out the students making the lemonade and Robin helping the students making the fruit salad.

"We're going to be using plastic knives for safety, so we're only using soft fruits," Sanji tells the little kids. "I have mangoes, berries, bananas, and pineapples. I also have this cookie cutters if you guys want to try making cute shapes with the fruits."

"Isn't making homemade pizza hard?" Zoro asks Sanji quietly as he moves back to start helping their group.

"Not really," Sanji shrugs. "Besides, I already made the dough. They're just going to help me by making the sauce and picking toppings."

Zoro has seen Sanji cooking countless of times. It's always a fascinating experience, especially when Sanji gets in The Zone, as Zoro likes to call it. That shrewd look of concentration on his face, the way his body moves with fluidity only learnt after countless hours of hard work and experience, it all just gets to Zoro.

But watching him cook and teach at the same time is a whole other experience. Zoro gets to see the genuine love for his craft in Sanji's smile. The way he controls the entire room easily. The way he explains things and add little tidbits of information to the avid students, eager to teach what he knows.

"If we want to add mozzarella to these pizza—and of course we do—we're going to have to cook the dough a little bit first, just so it doesn't get soggy," Sanji tells the kids. "We don't only want it to taste good, but also to look good. Right?"

"Right!" the class says in unison.

"We're going to heat up the sugar with the lavender water to mix it well," he tells Nami's group. "If we just add it to the finished version with ice, all the sugar will settle at the bottom and the taste will wash away. It takes a little longer since we have to wait for the mixture to cool, but it's worth it."

He even has a tip for the students cutting up fruits.

"A lot of people think they can choose the ripeness of a mango based on the color, but it actually has nothing to do with it," Sanji tells them as he grabs one of the uncut mangos. "You can check by giving it a gentle squeeze—if it gives a little, it's ripe. So once we choose one that we want to cut, we simply cut flat down next to the flat seed on both sides. Now, we grab one of the sides and with your knife, simply cut the shapes you want. If you want to use the cookie cutters, gently press down but don't cut the flesh. Then, we grab a spoon and simply…scoop it out," Sanji finishes, showing the students as he scoops out perfectly cut up squares. "Of course, there's still some fruit around the seed, but we just have to scrape around the edge of it and we get a nice long strip of fruit."

Sanji looks up at Zoro, who grins at him and gives him twin thumbs up. Sanji smiles and his cheeks redden a little, so he quickly looks away and returns his attention to the students.

"You make an excellent teacher," Zoro murmurs to him as he scoots next to him.

Sanji keeps his eyes on the dough he's extending, but Zoro can still see his small grin. "I'm just doing the opposite of what Zeff did when he taught me. I'm sure you don't want me kicking your students around."

"Thank you for taking the less violent track," Zoro agrees.

With Sanji's help, they're able to finish up relatively quick and, as soon as the pizza is cool enough to eat, they enjoy the fruit of their labor.

They're all seated in the cafeteria tables, the four pizzas they prepared splayed across the table with twin bowls of fruit salad set strategically for everyone to reach. Zoro quickly makes room for himself next to Sanji, with Nami sitting across from them at the end of the table and Robin opposite her.

"This is the best pizza I've ever had!" Nami exclaims with a slight moan, closing her eyes as she eats. "Great job, everyone!"

"We always say thank you when people compliment the food we make," Sanji says to the students and a chorus of 'thank you's' is directed at Nami.

"This is really good, kids," Zoro says, smiling. "Does anyone have any questions for our guest?"

Immediately, a dozen hands shoot straight up, surprising Sanji. He glances at Zoro, but he only shrugs. He can pick whoever he wants.

"Let's go one by one," Sanji says with a nervous chuckle. "What about you?" he asks Joey.

"My dad says only women are supposed to cook," Joey says and Zoro rolls his eyes. This isn't the first time he's heard of Mr. Scott's sexism, but it's not like he can do anything to change the man's mind. All he can do is try to teach Joey that not everything his father says is right; luckily for both of them, his mother is a lot more open-minded.

"Ah, well…actually, anyone can cook," Sanji says, his voice easygoing. "It doesn't matter if you're a boy or a girl, as long as you like doing it, there's nothing wrong with it, right?"

Joey frowns but nods thoughtfully.

"Tessa, you had your hand up," Zoro says quickly, drawing attention away from Joey. "Did you have a question?"

"Why are your eyebrows curly?" she asks innocently and Zoro quickly stifles a burst of laughter that quickly turns into a wince when Sanji steps on his foot underneath the table.

"They're hereditary," Sanji says, blushing bright red. "They come from my mother's side."

"So if you have kids they're going to have them, too?" Tessa asks.

"I suppose so," Sanji shrugs.

"That baby will look so silly!" Kylie giggles.

"Kylie!" Zoro chides, surprised by the mean comment. "That's not nice."

"But your hair is silly, too, Mr. Roronoa!" Kylie exclaims. "So a baby with green hair and curly eyebrows will look extra silly."

Zoro's and Sanji's mouths fall open at the exact moment Nami burst out laughing. Even Robin is smiling broadly, her laughter a lot softer. Sanji's cheeks turn a cherry red and even Zoro blushes hard enough for it to be noticeable on his tan cheeks.

"I didn't think about that," Lisa pipes in.

"It'll be a silly baby but super cool," Terrance agrees. "I wish Mr. Roronoa was my dad."

"Kids, Sanji and I are not having babies," Zoro says firmly. He's had embarrassing conversation with his students before—their curiosity and brash honesty can lead to a lot of those—but this is worse than all of them combined.

"My mom says babies come from a couple that love each other," Kylie quickly says. "She says the mommy's stomach gets really big for a couple of months, then the doctor takes the baby out."

"Ew, that's gross," Chad says, wrinkling his nose. "It's inside the mommy?"

"I know, it's super gross," Kylie says.

Zoro notices Terrance looking at his chest curiously and even though he knows he's gonna regret asking, he still does "what's wrong, Terrance?"

"Is your belly getting bigger?"

This time Sanji does burst out laughing, quickly covering his mouth and glancing at Zoro guilty.

"Why am I the mother!? You know what, don't answer that," Zoro quickly says, closing his eyes. "Kids, babies only come from women, so Sanji and I cannot have babies like that. It's also not something that just happens; it's a huge responsibility. Optimally, it only happens when people are married."

"So get married," Kylie says, shrugging.

"I'm not even gonna respond to that," Zoro says, giving her a stern look. "And besides, we're supposed to be asking about Sanji's job, not his looks or his relationship with me."

"Don't worry, Mr. Roronoa," Lisa says, for some reason her voice layered with comfort. "Sanji's really pretty and I like him for you."

"Geez, thanks, Lisa," Zoro says and Sanji laughs again.

"We're glad to have your approval, Miss Lisa," Sanji says honestly, still smiling widely.

"I approve, too!" Kylie quickly exclaims, soon joined by the others.

Zoro rolls his eyes, but when he glances at Sanji, he's surprised to see the relief in his eyes. He's smiling widely, cheeks still ablaze, and his eyes are soft. He's relieved that Zoro's students like him.

He was probably worried because of how much Zoro talks about his students. He loves his kids, honestly, so he never doubted that they would like Sanji. But even if they hadn't, it's not like it would have changed his opinion about Sanji, nor his feelings. But Sanji probably didn't think of it like that.

Zoro grabs Sanji's hand underneath the table and gives it a slight squeeze, smiling reassuringly when Sanji glances at him. Sanji smiles and returns the slight squeeze.

Neither of them let go.

* * *

 **A/N: Many thanks to my Beta Zosanlaw. You're amazing!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** **Finally! The last chapter! I never expected this little one shot to become anything big, let alone for so many people to enjoy it. Thank you all for you support and hopefully, I'll see you guys around on my next projects!**

* * *

Sanji has gotten used to his days off. He didn't really find them all that appealing before, but there's just _something_ about being able to wake up after the sun.

It feels refreshing.

He gets to actually prepare himself a nice, full breakfast from scratch instead of hurriedly grabbing one of his make-ahead breakfast cups or oatmeal muffins. He gets to keep wearing the loose grey sweats and white muscle t-shirt he slept in and not give a fuck. He gets to waste time on Netflix—he doesn't really _watch_ anything, since he spends two hours just browsing—while munching on popcorn.

Basically, he gets to laze around and do abso-fucking-lutely _nothing_ , and to someone that has been working at the same job since they were ten years old, it is _glorious_.

Until he realizes that it's barely been three hours since he woke up and he's completely bored out of his mind.

"Fuck!" he groans out loud, laying upside down on his couch with his legs dangling over the back and his hair grazing the floor. "I'm so bored!"

He stares at his ceiling, then sighs and rolls around to grab his phone from between the cushions and pulls up Zoro's contact information. His boyfriend is at work, so he won't answer any texts, but that doesn't mean Sanji can't text him.

He spends a few minutes looking for the perfect emoji, then decides it's useless because Zoro has an android—and not even a Samsung, he has a freaking _Google_ phone—and his emojis always look fucked up, and ends up simply sending ' _I'm bored'_.

He checks the time and groans when he realizes that the clock has only moved up two minutes.

"How do people do this free time shit?" he mutters, exiting off Zoro's text thread to look at all the conversations he has. He's been a lot more social since meeting Zoro, mostly because Luffy keeps sending out group texts that has his phone dinging in the middle of the night with the most random texts Sanji has ever read.

"I could hang out with Luffy," he muses, hovering over the kid's name. "Or I could call Ace."

But Luffy's probably partying it up, or terrorizing some diners at some random buffet. He's a guy of simple pleasures. And Ace…is out on a date, fuck. Sanji forgot all about it: he met some older guy a couple of weeks ago and has been really excited about hooking up with him for some time now.

"Fuck it, I'm going to work," he mutters, throwing his phone on the couch before swinging upright. Zeff will probably complain all day long, but Sanji has mastered the art of tuning out his father whenever he's being annoying.

He climbs up his stairs and heads straight to his closet. He's not planning on spending too much time in the kitchen, so maybe he can skip out on his chef whites and wear something more suitable for the dining floor.

Something like a tan suit, toned down with a Henley, and comfortable boots instead of his usual black leather shoes.

He quickly finds the perfect suit, a light-colored European cut, and pairs it with a white Henley that will keep him looking dapper as fuck, but not as if he's planning on going to a ball gown.

He has a little more trouble finding the perfect shoes. He _knows_ he has a pair of light-brown Chukka boots that will complete his look, but he can't find them! His closet is not enormous—though it _is_ bigger than Zoro's—but it has a lot of compartments. And most of the time, he ends up shoving things he doesn't use very often to the back of his top shelf, like winter clothes during the summer and vice versa.

Maybe he put them up there?

He has a couple of boxes at the forefront—empty, but he's positive they will come in handy someday—then a bunch of fleece blankets folded up and stacked on the left. They smell a bit damp, like all clothes smell when they spend too long locked up, so he throws them in his bed to remind himself to wash them. Behind that, he has a three office boxes, all marked _Baratie_ in black.

They're pretty far back, but he can spy another box behind them that he's sure is where his Chukka boots are, so he stands on the tips of his toes and stretches his hand as far as he can to grab the very edge of the box, trying to move it close enough that he can grab it. He can't quite reach it, but he doesn't want to walk all the way downstairs for his step stool, so he just…jumps.

"Aha!" he exclaims in triumph as his fingers grip the box handle tightly. And in that same moment, his Ikea shelf decides that it was not meant to hold 140 lb. blonds, and breaks. Sanji falls flat on his back as the shelf gives and dumps all of its contents on top of him.

"Fuck!" he groans, shoving the boxes on top of him, and rolls to his side. He takes a moment to figure out what hurts, but once he's sure he didn't get seriously hurt, he sits up and stares at the mess around him.

His Chukka boots are not there, and it is only then that he remembers Ace borrowed them.

Suddenly, getting out of his comfortable clothes and going to work seem like such a hassle.

He pushes the white shelf off to the side with his foot, then crosses his legs and actually looks at the items that fell down with him. The three office boxes busted open during the fall and their contents are scattered all over his floor; it's a lot more stuff than he would've expected.

He's not really sure what those boxes were doing in his closet, since they were labeled 'Baratie', but…is that a _blockbuster_ video case? He quickly grabs the old relic, studying the generic blue ticket-stub cover. It's actually very well reserved, though the bar code on the bottom is fading a little. He opens the case, grinning when he sees the Toy Story 2 DVD inside.

The movie came out when he was five, about to turn six, and he still remembers _begging_ Zeff for it. They rented it the day it was released on Blockbuster, watched it that very night, and kept renting it for like a two weeks straights. He's not really sure why he has a Blockbuster movie case, though.

He looks at all the other things that came out of the boxes—old photo albums, old clothes, a few toys, some random objects, key chains, little figurines, an iPod Mini he got when he was ten, some books—it's basically his entire childhood.

His old man probably snuck these boxes in when he moved out of the Baratie. How come he never noticed them?

"Lorie!" he exclaims, grabbing the yellow duck plushie that used to be his best friend when he was younger. He actually got it weeks before his move to the U.S., and despite being totally embarrassed at the fact that he slept with a _plushie_ , it really did help with the transition.

Well, that was probably because he named it after his favorite singer at the time, Laure Pester.

He traces the twin curly eyebrows Zeff drew on the toy with sharpie, after the third time Sanji came home from school complaining that his classmates made fun of them.

"Oh man, I missed you," he whispers. He hugs the toy to himself with one arm and gets up. He wants to go through all of the stuff he has here, organize it a little and spend some time reminiscing, but he first needs to fix the shelf, put up the clothes he laid out for work, and put the fleece blankets in the dirty bin. It's not full enough to warrant a trip to the laundromat yet, but he should change a couple of dollars into quarters later on anyway.

The one of the office boxes ripped during the fall, and another bent weirdly where it hit the floor, but Sanji has a couple of FJÄLLA boxes he bought at Ikea because he thought they would look pretty stacked in his living room as some sort of decoration, but since they're empty they only really serve to make him look obnoxious. They're quite big and more sturdy than the office boxes, so they'll work better to keep his precious childhood memories protected.

He's picks up everything from the floor and throws it on his bed to organize later, then climbs down the stairs to grab the Ikea boxes when there's a knock on his door. He frowns and stares at his door, debating whether he should open it or just pretend he's not home and go back upstairs.

A second knock and he groans in frustration, knowing the manners his father instilled in him won't let him ignore a third knock. He places the two boxes on his couch, picking up his forgotten phone in the process, and goes to the open the door just as the third knock sounds.

"What do you want?"

Zoro blinks at him, then frowns. "Well, nice to see you too, honey."

Sanji blinks, staring at him. He's not dressed 'formally' per say, but he looks a lot more classy than his usual jeans and t-shirt. His hair is combed back and artfully messed, a few strands stubbornly still tickling his forehead. His shirt is semi-translucent and _way_ too small for him, so it stretches across his broad chest and amplifies his sculpted torso, leaving nothing to the imagination. His pants are also more of a tight-fit than he usually wears, hugging his thick thighs and well…everything else.

" _What_ are you wearing?" Sanji demands. "Are those _chinos_?"

Zoro looks down at his clothes, scowl deepening. "I had a meeting with the School Board and Nami forced me to wear this."

"The School Board?" Sanji asks curiously.

"You know, about the project I'm working on," Zoro explains. "I expected it to run longer, so the school got a substitute for my class, but we finished quite early. And then I read your text and decided to drop by."

His text? Ah, that's right. He stares at Zoro, trying not to state too much, and silently reminds himself to tell Nami not to post any pictures of Zoro wearing this outfit on her blog. It's too much.

"Are you gonna let me in or not?" Zoro snaps, surprising him.

"Geez," Sanji snaps back, stepping back to let Zoro through. "I'm _busy_ , you know."

"Doing what?" Zoro asks, dropping his bag on the couch. "You're still wearing your pajamas."

"They're not pajamas, they're just clothes I sleep in."

"So pajamas."

"That sounds like a little kid wearing a spiderman onesie."

"You're making my point."

"Fuck you," Sanji snaps with no real heat. "Grab those boxes for me," he adds, pointing to the Ikea boxes as he walks towards his room. "I'm organizing my closet and you're helping me, since you decided to come bother me."

"I thought you were bored. I came to entertain."

"Your hair _is_ hilarious, though I'd still rather do this," Sanji says just as they reach the top of the stairs, pointing at his bed.

Zoro raises an eyebrow at the mess on his bed, placing the boxes on the edge of the bed as Sanji walks around him to sit cross-legged on it.

"What is all this?" he asks curiously.

"Found some boxes with stuff from when I was a kid," Sanji explains, leafing through a worn book. It's in French, an old paperback copy of _Le Petit Prince_ , a book he enjoyed reading with his mother. The pages are yellowing and brittle, a few of the words faded, but he can still remember snuggling next to his mother in bed at night, listening to her quiet voice with his eyes closed while she ran her fingers through his hair.

He closes the book and looks up at Zoro. "I'm just going through it, throwing out what's old and organizing it a little better."

Zoro stares at him, his eyes flicking to the book in his hands before he sighs and places one of the boxes on the floor, the other one still on the bed. "What you don't want can go in that one," he says, pointing to the one on the floor. "And we'll keep what you do want in here," he finishes, patting the box on the bed as he slips off his shoes. He moves to sit next to him, cross-legged like Sanji, and grabs a long, hardcover book.

"That's my old yearbook," Sanji says, leaning closer to Zoro as he opens the book. "Year of 2010."

"You were a junior?"

"Sophomore," Sanji corrects. "That is actually the year I met Ace. I'm sure he's in one of these pictures," he adds, flicking through the introductions towards the student life section. "I think he's in more of these than I am, and he's didn't even go to my school."

"Don't worry, it's the same in my yearbook," Zoro says, snorting as Sanji points out Ace on a picture of both them in the school cafeteria. The only reason why the picture was taken was because Ace was 'dating' the captain of the cheerleading squad. Ace and Sanji are the only guys in the picture, surrounded by beautiful girls dressed in miniskirts and crop tops. "Are you keeping this?"

"I bought one each year…I think I'll just keep the one for senior year," Sanji says, grabbing the white and black book. "You know, I won Best Dressed four years in a row."

"I won Best Looking senior year," Zoro retorts, grinning at him.

"Clearly your school was for the blind."

"Excuse you, my awkward phase was in junior high, and after that, it was smooth sailing."

"Oh my god, junior high was horrible for me," Sanji groans, putting the yearbook aside to grab a smaller, bright blue book. "Not only did I have a horrible, thick accent, I had the worst case of acne ever invented."

"You did not!" Zoro laughs, quickly looking down at the picture Sanji points out. "Holy shit!" he exclaims, laughing. "Are you…are you wearing makeup?"

"No!"

"You are!"

"Shut up," Sanji snaps, trying to pull the book out of Zoro's hands. "It's just foundation."

"And eyeliner. Were you an emo?"

"What? No! It was just…you know, what people were wearing," Sanji mutters, defeated. He wasn't _technically_ emo…he doesn't even really know what that entails. "Look, kids were jerks in school and the _only_ friends I had liked to wear all black and skip class. I didn't skip class, but there's never anything wrong with wearing black. It looks good on anyone."

"Hm-hm. Who's this guy?" Zoro asks, pointing to the other student in the picture.

"Shit, that's Gin!" Sanji exclaims. Gin used to be his best friend in junior high. Actually, he was the first person that really started talking with Sanji and didn't make fun of his eyebrows or his accent. They didn't go to the same high school, so he lost contact with him after a couple of years. "Oh man, I haven't seen him in so long. I wonder what he's up to now?"

"So you're keeping this one?"

"What? Oh yeah; this one and senior year," Sanji says, grabbing the two books to place them on the box. "And I'm also keeping Lorie," he adds, placing the plushie between his legs.

"You own a stuffed animal?"

"Got a problem with that?" Sanji snaps, but Zoro only shrugs.

"Oh boy, is this a tamagotchi?"

"Yes, and it died from old age," Sanji says. Zoro clicks the center button but nothing happens. "It probably doesn't work anymore. Trash bin."

"Cruel."

He has a lot of stuff, more than he'd realized. Zoro enjoys poking fun at him over his collection of Yu-Gi-Oh cards, until he gets distracted by the full-sized poster he has of 'N Sync.

"You were like five when they were famous!" Zoro laughs. "You liked them?"

"Excuse me, I was a child of taste," Sanji snaps. "I really got into them when I was twelve, after they split up…now I know why I thought Justin was so hot."

"He _is_ hot…but not really my type," Zoro shrugs.

"I thought you were into hot blonds," Sanji says, smirking when Zoro gives him a deadpan look.

"Actually, I prefer brunettes. But you'll do."

" _Fuck_ you. Oh look! These are from when I visited the Eiffel Tower!"

He has a bunch of pictures from when he was younger. He's actually surprised at how many of them he has, especially of the time when he lived in France.

"Is this your mom?"

Sanji glances at Zoro, then down at the picture in his hand. It's a picture of his mother when she was younger, definitely before she had Sanji. She's smiling at the camera, standing in front of what looks like the _Musée d'Orsay_ , wrapped in a thick, black woolen coat.

"Yeah," he whispers.

"She's really pretty," Zoro says quietly. "You really resemble her."

Yeah. She has brown hair and chocolate eyes, but they have the same big eyes and slender frame. The same pale skin and long neck. The same small mouth and sharp jaw. The same bright smile and asymmetrical, curling eyebrows.

"This was probably when they were dating," Sanji murmurs. "I wonder why Zeff would give it to me..."

"Maybe he thought you'd like it," Zoro answers . "You should frame it."

Sanji blinks. "Y-yeah. I should. But…just put it with the others for now."

Most of the stuff he has are pictures. He finds a couple of composition books filled with old recipes that he decides to add to the collection he has downstair in the kitchen. He also founds the old blazer that was part of his uniform when he attended private school, back in France. He decides to keep that, only because it's adorably small and in surprisingly good condition.

Old movie stubs, an old watch, baby shoes, a deflated soccer ball, a couple of medals, some school diplomas…most of it, things that he doesn't need but remind him of his younger days.

And then, the most embarrassing pictures of all: Prom.

" _Ace_ was your prom date?" Zoro asks, looking at the picture of an awkward Sanji standing next to a grinning Ace outside of the Baratie.

" _No,_ Ace went with me to prom, but he wasn't my _date_ ," Sanji snaps. "I just…didn't have a date. But I really wanted to go, and Ace was always down for a party, so…we rode together. To save gas, you know."

"Right," Zoro snorts. "I'm pretty sure Ace totally wanted to bone you."

"He did not!"

"He has that look in his face."

Sanji glances at the picture. Ace has his arm wrapped around Sanji's waist, holding him closely despite Sanji's clear discomfort. He's smiling widely, facing the camera, and one hand is holding up the piece sign. "Ace is just touchy. He knew it bothered me, so he did it."

"No, Ace had a crush on you, but you were totally oblivious," Zoro corrects, putting down the picture to pick up another one. "You had fun?"

"It was alright," Sanji shrugs, looking at the group photo. Sanji got to sit with a bunch of other people—half of which he had never met—mostly because Ace was pretty popular.

"You sure about that?" Zoro asks, looking at a third picture showing Sanji sitting alone at the table, staring at the dance floor as Ace danced with a group of girls (and a couple of other guys).

Sanji hesitates, then shrugs. "That was the night I slept with Conis."

Zoro glances at him in surprise. "The one—."

"Yup. Lesbian."

"Oh."

It was honestly a horrible night. He had gone with the hope of finding a nice girl to dance with, only to be ignored for the majority of the night as Ace hogged everyone's attention. He sat at that table for _hours_ , watching everyone else dance, and got turned down multiple times. And then, Conis had started talking with him.

He had talked to her a couple of times before, and she was a nice girl. They danced and laughed, talked about the university she was going to attend and about Sanji's decision to stay at the Baratie. She was…sweet. And when she asked if he wanted to leave early, he didn't even hesitate to say yes.

And then, of course, it had all gone to hell.

"Let's throw these photos always then," Zoro says, distracting him.

"No, keep them," Sanji says. "Ace might want a couple of them."

Zoro hesitates, but places the photos on top of everything else in the box, then drags it down to the floor next to everything Sanji will be throwing away. Sanji waits until the box is on the floor to wrap his arms around Zoro and drag him down on the bed, his arm snugly wrapped around his chest.

"This was fun," Zoro says and Sanji snickers.

"You're only saying that because you enjoyed making fun of my young self."

"I can make fun of your old self, too, curly," Zoro says and smirks down at him. "Nah, you were cute as a kid."

"I know," Sanji grins. "Got any pictures of you when you were a kid?"

"Probably," Zoro says. "Didn't take much with me when I moved in with Robin, but I bet my father still has them somewhere."

"Sometimes I think it would've been awesome if we'd met in high school," Sanji murmurs into his shoulder.

"I don't," Zoro says, scowling. "I was an asshole in high school. Would have probably never told you half the things I told you when we started texting."

Sanji moves to lean on his elbow, resting his head on his hand to look down at Zoro. "Be honest, when we first started talking, you were only looking for sex, right?"

"I mean, I'm _still_ looking for sex," Zoro jokes, wincing when Sanji smacks his chest. "Yeah, I thought we could hook up. But in my defense, I doubt anyone would think anything else with you sending such a perverted picture."

"It was _not_ perverted."

"You were naked."

"You couldn't see anything!"

"I could see enough."

Sanji rolls his eyes, momentarily distracted by the contour of Zoro's stomach underneath his fingers. Even relaxed like he is now, Sanji can feel every dip and curve.

"Can I ask a question?"

"You just did—ow! Damn, yes, ask!" Zoro snaps, rubbing the skin Sanji pinched.

"This is serious, mosshead," Sanji snaps. "Why did you start talking to me? I mean... you didn't know me and you're not the type to just start sharing deep secrets with strangers…but you told me things even Luffy and the others don't know… through _text,_ on top of it. Why's that?"

Zoro frowns thoughtfully. "I guess…I thought you were interesting."

"Interesting?" Sanji asks skeptically.

"Yeah. I mean, just through the picture, I knew you were hot. Thought you probably had suitors waiting in lines for you, but you were also kind of shy. And then I found out you were a chef, and you did martial arts. You seemed…smart. And funny. And it always took you _ages_ to respond after I complimented you; you were probably blushing like crazy, right?"

" _No_ ," Sanji lies, definitely not pouting.

Zoro smiles. "I guess…it was just _easy_. I'm not a liar, but I've never had anyone ask me about my life. The people I hooked up with, they didn't care about knowing me. Even if they said they wanted a relationship, they were more interested in me learning about _them_ , not the other way around. But you were nosey as hell. You wanted to know _everything_."

"Shut up! I wasn't _nosey_ ," Sanji snaps. "You kept asking questions about me, it was only natural to ask about _you_."

"Like I said, you were pretty interesting," Zoro says, looking up at him. "Do you regret being so honest?"

"Of course not," Sanji answers. "I don't regret anything about us."

Zoro grins and pulls him in for a soft kiss, but Sanji quickly deepens it. He lets Zoro mark the pace, but pushes him back to lay on top of him, his hands on either side of Zoro's face, his body perfectly snug against Zoro's.

He can feel something pressing into him and he starts to sneak a hand down between their bodies, smirking when he feels Zoro's breath hitch.

"Sanji," Zoro moans, closing his eyes and in that moment, Sanji chooses to wrap his hand around the item that was pressing into him and _pull_.

"You were squishing her," Sanji declares, grinning widely when Zoro opens his eyes to stare at Lorie. "Pervert."

Zoro's eyes widen and his face blushes a deep, bright red which clashes so horribly with his hair, Sanji can't help but burst out in laughter. He falls back on the bed, laughing so hard that after a few seconds, he starts gasping for breath.

"You're an idiot," Zoro snaps, still blushing. He snatches Lorie from his hands and throws her in the box - which has everything Sanji's keeping - before moving to sit between Sanji's legs, letting them lay on his thighs. He will deny it for years to come, but he's totally pouting. "I thought…you're an asshole."

"Sorry," Sanji says, breathless as Zoro leans his weight into him, his hands coming up to hold Sanji's wrists down.. "I had to do it."

Zoro's hold on him tightens, his lower lip jutting out a bit more, before he loosens his grip and leans back. "Whatever. I'm gonna go grab a—."

"Hey," Sanji interrupts, wrapping his legs around Zoro's waist before he can lean too far away. "I meant that, you know. About having no regrets."

Zoro's eyes widen and he licks his lips. "So…you mean…?"

"Yeah," Sanji whispers. "Kiss me."

And Zoro does. It's slow and innocent, a drag of lips across his own. His tongue licks at his bottom lip but doesn't delve in, a sweetness to his touch. His hands are on Sanji's hips, his grip careful yet certain… still, Sanji can feel Zoro's restraint.

It's almost like an afterthought, the gentleness in Zoro's touch. Something that comes second nature to him. Sanji certainly doesn't need it, he's not made of glass - and more than safe, it makes him feel cared for.

"Zoro," Sanji murmurs against his lips, and feels Zoro's fingers dig into his skin. "I love you."

The kiss stops immediately and Zoro pulls back to stare at him, but Sanji doesn't feel nervous.

For the very first time in his life, Sanji doesn't regret admitting his feelings.

"You don't have to say it back," he tells the still dumbfounded Zoro. "It's okay if you don't feel the same way…I just wanted you to know I love you."

Zoro closes his mouth and swallows hard, his gaze suddenly heavy. "I'm not gonna say it," he says and Sanji nods. He expected that. Can't say that he's not disappointed, but he understands.

"I've never said it before, to anyone," Zoro continues, surprising him. "I don't know how it's supposed to feel, if what I feel right now is love or just affection; and if I say it right now, I'll feel like I'm only saying it because you said it."

"It feels like—."

"No," Zoro interrupts him, shaking his head. "I want to figure it out on my own. So that when I _do_ say it, I'll mean it a hundred percent. So that _you_ won't ever have to doubt the way about I feel about you."

Sanji swallows thickly and nods, afraid that if he opens his mouth, no words will come out. He didn't know it was capable to feel so happy about a non-confession. But Zoro has given him hope for the future, for _their_ future. Hope that one day, Zoro will love him as fiercely as Sanji loves him.

"It's okay if you don't want to do this anymore," Zoro says, looking down to where their hips join.

"Are you kidding me?" Sanji snorts, tightening his legs around his waist and pushing him back so that in one, swift movement they've switch positions, with Sanji now on top of Zoro. "It's fine if you don't want me to tell you how love feels, but that doesn't meant I don't get _show_ you."

Zoro grins, his eyes darkening as his hands ghost over the sensitive skin of Sanji's thighs, his fingers playing with the hem of his pants. "Hmm…well, I _am_ a visual learner."

Sanji snickers and leans down to kiss him, conveying everything he's feeling right now—his hope, his happiness, his excitement, and his trust—in that simple touch.

* * *

 **A/N: As always, a huge thanks to Zosanlaw for beta'ing :)**


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